


Cabaret

by Phoenix_Is_Rising



Category: Naruto
Genre: Adult Content, Alcohol, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Annoyance to Lover, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Drinking, Dubious Ethics, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Host Clubs, Hostess club, Hostesses, Idiots in Love, Minor Original Character(s), Sexual Content, Sexual Harassment, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Undercover Missions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:53:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 27,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27465238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoenix_Is_Rising/pseuds/Phoenix_Is_Rising
Summary: You can't stand Might Guy. Honestly, how could anyone be so boisterously unaware and sickeningly positive? Your heart sinks as the both of you are teamed up to infiltrate and collect information from the Hidden Sound's gritty nightlife. Maybe losing yourselves in the dark of the underground will help you both come to an understanding.
Relationships: Maito Gai | Might Guy & Reader, Maito Gai | Might Guy/Reader, Yakushi Kabuto & Reader, Yakushi Kabuto/Reader
Comments: 29
Kudos: 60





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! I'm really excited about this story. I have a feeling that it's going to be fairly long. I feel like my writing style is more suited for fluffy works but I'm really going the lengths to try to make this work as amazing as I can! I think it's an interesting take to have the reader go on a journey of self development and play around with how Guy as such a positive character reacts to darker themed situations.

You couldn’t stand Might Guy. It wasn’t as if you hadn’t tried to escape him, because you had tried multiple times a day. Avoiding Konoha’s “Handsome Devil” just proved to be more of a challenge than you thought. It was as if you saw him everywhere. Well, more heard him everywhere. No matter where you were or what time of day, you seemed to always be in the presence of Might Guy. And everywhere, his voice rang annoyingly loud. If you went to the market, he was walking through on his hands. If you went to the armory, he was laughing jovially with your fellow jounin. He was always shouting, doing some ridiculous challenge that made you cringe inwardly. Honestly, how could anyone be so boisterously unaware and sickeningly positive? And sometimes, on the rarest, unfortunate occasion, he would try to talk to you. Whenever that happened, you got this horrible feeling. It was like a fluttering in your chest and a pit in your stomach. You felt off, distracted. Might Guy just rubbed you the wrong way and there were no two ways about it.

These were all things you reflected on as you stood in front of Lady Tsunade. 

“W-what did you say?” you sputtered slightly. A chill ran through you. You did not hear what you just heard.

“I’m sending you and Guy-san out on a mission,” she repeated sternly. You stared at her in shock. The door to her office creaked open. “Ah, here he is now.” 

You looked over your shoulder and sure enough stood the one and only Might Guy.

“Are you kidding me?” You whip your head towards Tsunade. “Why do I have to team up with him?”

Now, Might Guy was not one to care about what people thought about him. That’s not what Papa Dai taught his son, but what he did care about was a healthy relationship with his comrades. When Guy thought about it, he didn’t know much about you and he couldn’t quite put a finger on what it was that was obstructing your ability to become friends. It wasn’t like you completely despised him, right? Now, as you stood in front of him complaining about your pairing, he couldn’t help but wonder what he did wrong to make you not like him.

“Enough!” Tsunade snapped. She cleared her throat. “We received intelligence about Akatsuki sympathizers in the Hidden Sound and a plot against the Leaf. Find where the information is being exchanged. That’s your mission. Find this place, infiltrate it, and covertly gather information about this upcoming attack.” 

“Lady Tsunade, respectfully-”, you glanced over at Guy who was now by your side- “could this mission not be achieved by me alone? We’re talking about covert here. Perhaps I could work with the informant?”

“I hand selected you and Guy because your abilities together create a balanced team.” Tsunade squinted her eyes at you. Her words dripped like venom. “Of course, if what you’re telling me is that you’re not cut out for this mission, other arrangements can be made.” You huffed. There weren’t many people who you would back down from, but Tsunade was one of them. She had your respect even without being Hokage and you weren’t about to further question her decision- even if you didn’t like it.

“No, my Lady.” You attempted to not let a scowl make its way onto your lips. You weren’t sure how successful you were.

“Wonderful,” She spoke quickly, not giving you another opportunity to complain. Tsunade motioned to Shizune who gave the both of you two files. “You have everything you need.” She dismissed you from her office impatiently. Tsunade was never one to be in the mood for backtalk and she wasn’t starting today. 

You and Guy stood outside, he had already begun to flip through his file. You opened yours. Guy glanced over.

“‘Genki and Yume’, huh? That’s a little on the nose, don’t you think?” He chuckled. You let out a slight hum of acknowledgement, beginning to make your way down the hall. Guy paused and blinked before following you. You strided swiftly down the hall. Guy took slightly larger steps to keep up. He didn’t seem to get the hint. “It looks like intelligence got us an in at some place in the downtown Hidden Sound. I think I could get used to my name. It has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? But I won’t lie to you, I don’t exactly know much about the underground nightlife scene but-”

You whirled around, gritting your teeth. Is he always going to talk so much?

“Look,” you prodded a finger into his chest, pushing him back slightly, “We both know that I could do this mission on my own.” You peered at him with fiery eyes, punctuating your phrases by pushing him farther back. “I don’t know why Lady Tsunade thought that I needed you for back-up but you can just stay out of my way.”

Guy’s back met the wall. Your hand was still on his chest as you stood face to face. Guy looked down at you with widened eyes. You paused and found yourself studying his face. You followed the frame of it with your gaze traveling from his cheek bones, to his brows, and down to his eyes. You could see the flicker of confusion in them and something else. Your breath slowed. Guy wanted to understand, that’s what it was. You huffed, bunching your hand at the front of his jumpsuit. You gave him one last shove back against the wall before you stomped away. 

Might Guy stood where you left him for a beat. His back still flush against the wall behind him but shoulders now relaxed. Guy thought once more about why you seemed to not like him so much. When Guy became pensive, he exercised, so that’s what he decided to do. As soon as he left the Hokage building he broke into a jog, thinking about what had happened. 

You got along with all the other Jounin, but, much to his dismay, he had a hard time conversing with you. He tried to keep it casual, waving to you when he saw you in the market or make you laugh when you ran into each other at the armory. Sometimes if he could catch you, he’d try to make small talk, but it always seemed like you had somewhere to be. He didn’t get it. 

Something else he didn’t know was that his jogging route went directly past your apartment. You got fed up around his 500th lap. You didn’t know who exactly Might Guy thought he was. He sure had some nerve to work out by your apartment building after he ruined your mission. Might Guy, with his bangs held back by his forehead protector. Might Guy, with all his muscles rippling under that jumpsuit of his. You couldn’t help but stare out of the corner of your eye from your window, fighting a blush that would come onto your cheeks. Not that you would admit to having a blush, not ever.

You found yourself waiting by the window, watching as he ran by. You caught yourself and lashed the curtains closed. You settled into your bed for one final night before you left, the mission file tucked in your lap. Drifting off to sleep, hoped that this mission wouldn’t last long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really curious to see how this goes. I always write for myself because I feel like works don't come out well if you're constantly thinking about whether or not people like it, but I'm really curious how people will react to a Reader Insert who's not perfect and has things to learn. 
> 
> I don't know, I like writing my reader inserts as people who grow and learn. I hope that's an interesting take.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who doesn't know how to format italics? Me. It's me. I feel like I'm talking into the void, feel free to comment or follow my Tumblr @thing.winged
> 
> Coolio, enjoy.

You shifted your pack full of equipment on your shoulders and patted yourself rapidly on the cheek in an attempt to snap your groggy features into liveliness. It had been a long, restless night. You kept thinking about the mission. The case file had creased in certain areas of the pages the more you thumbed through it. Your bag was packed and repacked several times. Last night, it seemed as if the moment you returned to your bed you felt the urge to get back up. 

Exhausted, you stood in front of your mirror on your way out the door. You tucked your hair in a bandana. You were used to wearing civilian clothes, but the lack of forehead protector was never something you could get used to. It meant that you were a kunoichi of the Leaf and it felt wrong to not bear the symbol of your home.

You locked the door to your tiny apartment and headed the direction of the Konoha gates. It was early, much too early for anyone to be out. At the horizon, the sun was still a bit away from rising. Nature stood still, calm, and silent. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, you were used to waking at this time. It was not because of your own will, but because of a certain loud-mouth training outside your window. You shuttered, thinking about your fellow Jounin and his mini. Yes, he did have a “mini” now, but didn’t mind the Mini-Might as much as you minded his mentor. His mentor was the one that would go on earnestly about “youth” in front of your apartment while you were trying to sleep. Irritated, you promised yourself every morning that you’d storm down there and give Guy a piece of your mind. For some reason, you never did.

You tried not to think about your unfortunate travel partner and focus on the giddiness that always overtook you when you were assigned to covert missions. It really brought you a certain kind of joy to know that Tsunade thought of you for this. It was no wonder; undercover information gathering was your specialty after all. You were a clever prosthetic cosmetician, the best in the Leaf if you might add. With your skills to bend your appearance combined with your signature jutsu, you lived for times like these. You didn’t know what it was. Perhaps, it was the satisfaction that came with becoming someone else completely. Maybe, it was the thrill of extracting information from the most unwitting of targets that gave you such a rush. You could feel it in your core. Anyone can make a flimsy transformation, but you? You were the real thing. The feeling coursed up through you to extract a small squeal of joy from your lips as you nearly skipped along your way.

That feeling came to a sudden halt as you noticed the outline of Might Guy standing, waiting for you. He would be early. You should have expected that. You remembered why you were less excited about this mission again. As you approached, his figure grew larger. Now, while you were used to wearing civilian garments, you were definitely not used to Guy wearing civilian garments. He stood in front of you. His outer shirt was loose. A darker olive green undershirt ran down his arms and bunched up around his elbows. You didn’t think there was ever a day that you had seen Guy without his signature jumpsuit. No, you believe you saw him once in mourning robes at a funeral. But did that really count?

“Guy-san,” You called out almost tentatively as you came into his view. You were so used to that gaudy thing he wore that you might not have recognized him under normal circumstances. “You’re early,” you pointed out stiffly.

“No, not at all, (Y/N)-san,” He told you. His charisma was deafened compared to usual but it still shone through as was typical of Might Guy. He was a bit tense. It must have to do with your conversation with him the previous day. You couldn’t help but mentally pat yourself on the back, gloating to yourself that he should know to limit talking to you. You stuck up your nose in a huff.

“Well if you’re ready, we should probably get going.” You strolled past him, not even giving him the slightest glance. “We have 30 hours ahead of us.” You pointed out as you started out towards the forest. You ran up the nearest tree and sprang into a front flip. The branch shook lightly as you landed, hardly turning before you began to skip along the trees. You made it a point not to look back, sure that Guy was only a short distance behind you.

Once again, you enjoyed silence. The breeze from your rapid movement whirled in your ears. Your hair rippled in the wind. The air of the forest seemed more crisp than usual. It was dense ahead with intricate branches shooting in every direction. Guy’s figure appeared in front of you. With a scowl, you sped up in front of him, bounding ahead. Guy called out to you, but you were too focused on your game. No way you weren’t taking the lead on this one. You gripped the first branch that obstructed your way. Using it for support you channeled your momentum into a midair cartwheel. You free fell head first, you heard yelling after you. You caught another branch and launched yourself back into the air like a trapeze artist with a burst of chakra. There was nothing more freeing than being a kunoichi.

But once again, you were reminded of the damper as Guy appeared in your peripheral. You rolled your eyes, wondering why Might Guy had to ruin everything for you. You continued your intricate gymnastics.

“We should probably talk about the mission.” He spoke from somewhere behind you. You sprang ahead, pretending not to hear. You dove and Guy had no choice to follow as you continued flipping and somersaulting through the air.

That was when you felt it and your smile was quickly diminished. Something was off about this area of the forest. You stopped, hand against the trunk of a tree you sat quietly. Guy appeared next to you wondering why you stopped. You wordlessly sped forward once again.

You sensed something but was unsure what it was. You attempted to focus but Guy kept calling to you. The two of you were deep in the forest. You shot through the air faster and faster, trying to locate what else or who else was in the forest with you. You could feel one… two… You couldn’t focus, Guy kept calling to you. You got this horrible feeling. It was like a fluttering in your chest and a pit in your stomach. You felt off, distracted. You tried to shake the feeling over and put your power into reaching your full speed. You were getting close. Close to finding whatever was out there-

A hand latched onto your right wrist. Unwittingly but without hesitation, you reversed your momentum into a kick. Guy blocked your leg, letting go of your arm and you both skidded onto another large branch. You crouched in a defensive position.

“What the hell is your problem?” You snapped at your partner. You had never seen Guy so serious.

“Tell me what’s going on.” He demanded it softly, but sternly. You looked around you. The two of you were out in the open. You could sense something close by. Leaves rustled.

You ran towards him without time to think, pushing him to the base of the tree before you were struck. You gritted your teeth as the skin on your shoulder just barely split.

“You gave us away, you idiot!” you grunted. Losing traction on the rough bark of the tree, you plunged along with the kunai knife that struck you. There wasn’t enough time to recover. The ground erupted into a puff of smoke as you hit the forest floor. You howled, immense pain pooling in your left shoulder.

Guy had made his way down from the trees, but not before three figures surrounded you. Two of them faced Guy while the third gripped you by the hair, dragging you up from the ground. You growled, trying to not cry out from the pain.

“What do we have here? Travelers from the Leaf?” One barked.

“Looks like it!” the one with the grip in your hair proclaimed. You observed him as best as you could from your disadvantaged vantage. They seemed to just be robbers or possibly scouts. You weren’t sure. While they didn’t seem heavily armed, they were in a three man squad bearing the Hidden Sound symbol. They caught the two of you off guard. This one wouldn’t be easy. “Why don’t you guys rough up the boyfriend? See what he’s got on him.”

You shifted, both you and Guy were in trouble. You tried to move the arm you landed on, but you were only met with pain and failure. You tried to take a look at your captor. If you could just touch… You reached up to grab his hand with your right one. Cloth. Gloves. Dammit. The man looked down, tugging your head down harshly, “Aw don’t worry, sweetheart, I didn’t forget about you.”

You could hear Guy fighting, but your lowered head couldn’t see much of anything. You felt your captor’s sleeve brush against your knuckle. There it was. Stretching, you swiftly slid your hand up under his sleeve. Your fingers touched his skin but just barely. You tightened your reach as your chakra gathered in your fingers. The ninja behind you slackened as you maneuvered yourself to face him, still gripping him in a forearm handshake as his legs locked. You could still hear Guy. Your other arm dangled at your side.

You took him in, absorbing his face. His grey eyes, the scar that bisected his face, his heavy-set jaw. You never forgot a bitch.

“Who are you?” you demanded, hearing the sound of battle behind you. He was dazed. More chakra gathered around your hand. You could see the consciousness in his eye slowly diminish. “Look into my eyes,” you requested firmly. His eyes met yours. “I asked you who you were and what you want.”

“W-we are, we are,” You started deeply into his eyes. “We are of the Sound.”

“Yes, you are,” You whispered, beginning to stand. The ambusher swayed. “And what are you doing in the forests of the Land of Fire?”

“We’re here. We’re here in the forest. Forest of the Land of Fire.” You weren’t getting the answers as quickly as you wanted. You sent another surge of chakra to your hand, quickly moving your grip from his arm to his face. You did it quickly. In the split second where you weren’t touching, you saw his senses start to return to him. You put a stop to that as soon as your hand reached his cheek.

“Yes, tell me why. Why is the Sound pushing the border?” The potential scouting ninja parted his lips. You concentrated, attempting to keep your hold on him for just a bit longer. Sweat began to drip down your temple. Your hand moved to his forehead. “Tell me.”

He was gone, completely under your spell. He opened his mouth to speak. It was hard to control with one hand, but you couldn’t help but congratulate yourself on finishing this mission one day in. Minimal injury and you found a helpless underling who would tell you everything. You really hit the jackpot.

That was, until your prey was ripped from you like a fly torn from a spiderweb. You felt him slip through your fingers. His body slammed into the tree behind him, the trunk buckling from the impact. Might Guy stood over him. You looked behind you, the other two scouts were out as well, bleeding profusely. You stood from your kneeling position.

“Guy, what the hell?! I had that one wrapped around my finger until you ruined it!” You stormed over to him in a rage. “What the fuck is your problem? Didn’t I tell you to not get in my way? I knew you’d do this, Might Guy!”

Guy took your lashing, face uncharacteristically stoic for the length of your tantrum. You cursed him, going up to the crippled ambusher. You put your right hand on his face, chakra flowing through your fingers. Like you expected, your jutsu didn’t work. You whipped around to Guy.

“We could have been done with this mission before it started!” you exclaimed. You kept grumbling while Guy stood straight-faced and silent. He listened wordlessly and patiently as you ranted. Throughout all the name-calling and blaming, not a word left his lips. You finally ceased when you began to run out of air. Guy stood tall in front of you, facing you as an equal. He had the same stoic and serious face as before. You listened.

“We are on a mission together. Whether you like it or not, that was Lady Tsunade’s call.” He crossed his arms. He wasn’t angry or vindictive in the way he spoke. He was just... Guy. “You are my partner and I was assigned, no, ordered to protect you. I will continue to do that as that comes down from the Hokage. Dislike me all you want, but I ask that you save it for when we get back. We’ll have to work very closely for this mission, so it would benefit us to have a civil partnership.”

Your face burned and you avoided his gaze. He was right. And unlike you, he didn’t have such a short fuse.

Guy approached. “May I?” You hesitated but soon nodded. He laid two strong hands around your arm and shoulder.

“It’s dislocated.” You remarked. He hummed, snapping your shoulder back into place in one swift movement and you let out a string of curse words. He said nothing, offering you a hand to test the movement in your arm. It was sore, but you could move the joint again. Your hand lingered in his. You looked up into his eyes, lingering there too before you quickly retreat your hand and look away.

You tentatively stretched your arm again. “Thank you, Guy-san.” Those words in that order felt unnatural to both of you coming from your mouth. Odd, but not something you couldn’t get used to.

“Are you okay to get going again?” You nodded and the two of you sprang back up to the trees.

It was once again silent as you traveled with Guy. Despite a lack of exchanging words, you passed the time lost in thought. Why would Sound bandits be so far into a forest in the Land of Fire? You thought back to the ambush, the tight spot you were in, and Guy. You thought back to the information you almost got, Might Guy taking on three of the enemy at once. His frame as he came to your rescue. Your hand in his. You nearly tripped at the thought.

“Are you okay?” Guy asked as you recovered from your stumble.

“Yes!” You told him quickly.

You tried to focus on the three that ambushed you. You wondered what that one bandit was going to say. Nonetheless, this was confirmation of what Tsunade had told you. There was something stirring in the Sound.

Dusk was closing in. The sky was various shades of pink and purple as both you and Guy decided to set up camp for the day. You finally got to stand still, your pulse beating rapidly from your travel. Your calves burned. Both of your packs hit the ground. Guy worked on getting a fire started while you laid protective jutsu around your campsite. You stood, breathing in, focusing on your surroundings. The two of you were completely alone.

“So,” you began. You weren’t used to talking to Guy. For whatever reason it made you so flustered! You hated being flustered. “You wanted to talk about the mission.”

Guy blinked at you. “Yes, I did.” You sat by the fire, gesturing for Guy to sit as well. The silence was uncomfortable. You took out a ration of food you carried in your pack and Guy did the same.

“We should probably start using each other's new names.” You offered. Guy only nodded. You continued, scuttling to make nice conversation, “Umm… The informant put in a word for us at the club. Eh… I think my role is pretty obvious but what are they having you do?”

“Bartender,” Guy stated matter of factly.

“You, a bartender?” You asked, quirking your eyebrows. “I would never have expected you to bartend.”

“Oh yeah! People are surprised all the time,” Guy chuckled. He perked up with his usual Might Guy gusto. “I won’t lie to ya’ I’m pretty excited. According to Kakashi, I make the best Old Fashioned.” He began to smile.

You took in his jolly features. Maybe that was the reason you never yelled at him each morning.

“I’ll have to put that to the test,” you joked weakly. You gave a small smile as you looked at your lap. Happy was a good look for Might Guy, you decided.

“I don’t think you’ve ever smiled around me,” Guy remarked. “Or at least at anything I’ve said.”

“Why would I?” you snapped out of habit. You paused, feeling guilt creep up on you. Before you could apologize, Guy burst out laughing. You laughed nervously along with him.

“You’ve always been a feisty one!” Guy proclaimed, “You have the fire of youth in your heart.” You rolled your eyes. There he is talking about “youth” again, but you couldn’t help help but feel complimented.

“Thank you, Guy-san… um… Genki-san.” You responded. The words still felt foreign, but it was something you could get used to. The new name didn’t help. “You, uh… you do as, as well?” Flustered, your face started to heat up. You could just blame it on the fire.

“You can call me by my real name when we are alone,” Guy offered. He was slightly taken aback, but was encouraged by the olive branch you were extending. You were trying.

“Um, of course.” You cleared your throat. “Allow me to take first watch.” Guy looked at you. Were you trying too hard?

“No, let me. You need to rest that arm of yours.”

“Are you sure?”

“I recuperate quicker than most, I’ll be fine with less sleep.”

You accepted his invitation there, settling into your make-shift bed of a few blankets. You looked to the stars, projecting them onto the backs of your eyelids as you settled into sleep. Feelings swirled around in your gut. You still didn’t like Might Guy. You repeated that to yourself, though the more you said it, the less you believed yourself.

He’s just annoying, you thought to yourself. He’s a capable ninja, he’s just annoying.

Yes, that was it.

That’s what you’re going to tell yourself.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never want to write travel again. So much research went into this chapter and it hardly shows! Luckily, Naruto geography is fleshed out pretty well in canon!

Guy woke you from dreamless sleep in the middle of the night. He laid a gentle hand on your shoulder. It was time for your watch. You bolted up at the touch, propping yourself on your left palm. The kunai from under your pseudo-pillow felt heavy in your grip against his neck. Guy had kept the fire kindled, but just barely. The dim glow outlined his face as he lingered kneeling over you. You relaxed, recognizing him after a few blinks. He looked exhausted, but gazed upon you with concerned eyes. He recoiled his touch softly. You put your kunai down. Wordlessly, Guy settled into his makeshift cot.

You stretched, sitting up against a large fallen branch. The heat from the little flares warmed your cheeks. You threw a small piece of wood on the embers, watching as the tiny flames licked the offering. The light burned just bright enough to see your surroundings, but not enough to give you away to any that may be lurking in the woods. You breathed deeply and closed your eyes to focus. No other chakra signatures anywhere around.

Guy tapped out quickly, curled up in his blanket to your left. He gave out a light snore. He must’ve been a lot more tired than he let on to you before. Raven black strands slipped from his forehead, falling across his eyes. You glanced around. You were alone. Gingerly, you reached over and tucked the stray strands back, but quickly recoiled as a small shock pinched your nerves. You shifted back against the log.

Much like the night before, you found yourself thumbing through the case file once more. Bits of light fluttered on the page. You ran a finger over your new name, new identity. The name of the club where you were to become the equivalent of a cabaret girl, a hostess. The file felt thin and light in your hand. The Leaf did not know if the plot by the Sound existed, let alone it’s details. You rolled the edge of the paper in your fingers. The layout of the city printed on the page wrinkled at the border. You have long since memorized the image. You tossed the pages into the fire. You wouldn’t be needing it anymore.

At the rate you and Guy were going at, you’d arrive later today. You took a few items out of your pack and began work on your face. As tedious and expensive as it was to do missions like this, it was the only way for an undercover mission. Any ninja could use a transformation jutsu, but any team with a half-skilled sensory ninja could sense a small, yet continuous, flow of it from a mile away if they really tried. You ran a brush down your cheekbone, the tinted light posed a challenge, but not one you hadn’t overcome before. You tried not to grin as you thought about what new products you could buy with your reimbursement ryō. While you got the process down to a science, it still took focus.

In time, you witnessed dawn impose itself on the world. Little by little, you observed the orchestra of the forest. As the sun began to rise, you could hear birds, see them fly overhead as they began their day. Small rodents rustled in the treetops. For a while, the forest took on a teal blue tint, but the hue changed as the sun rose. Beams of sunlight trickled through the trees. The saturation became green and gold. The fresh, crisp air pleasantly shocked your lungs. The daylight shown on your sleeping partner’s relaxed features.

You shifted and shadow once again enveloped his figure.

Guy began to stir by the time you were finished. As you were packing your equipment back up, his eyes suddenly shot open. He sat up in his make-shift cot.

“Alright,” he stated, stretching his arms over his head, “Breaktime’s over.”

He turned to you. He arched his eyebrows and assumed a semi-defensive posture. Guy’s brows sewed together in confusion. You rolled your eyes, sighing.

“It’s me, genius.”

“Riiiight, right.” Guy took in your new features. He had heard about your abilities, but hadn’t had a chance to see them up close. He tilted his head. If Guy hadn’t known you, you could have easily been a different person. He mentally bisected you. Closing one eye and squinting the other, he raised his hand to block his vision to your face. Same clothes. Same body language. Same figure. Guy moved his hand. Different hair. Different facial structure. How did you pull _that_ off?

“Are you going to stop staring?” You questioned, not looking at Guy, “It’s unprofessional and if you’re up then we should really head out.”

Guy nodded, gathering both of your things together. You dispersed all evidence of the camp and dismantled the protective jutsus. Not long after, the two of you once again vanished into the trees, not a trace left behind.

There were about 15 more hours to go. This, of course, did not include the extra time it would take as you crossed the border to the Country of Rice. Naturally, “civilians” like yourselves don’t have chakra control so for a portion of the trip you will be walking in case you were unlucky enough to get stopped by Sound patrol. Every few minutes, you scanned ahead for any chakra signatures. You were getting lucky today. Unlike the day before, you found little trouble as you traveled with Guy.

You shot through the trees. In the distance you could see the Valley of the End. The two statues stood tall at the end of your sights. You were almost to the border. The closer you got, the clearer you could hear the falls. They tumbled down into the canyon carved by battle. You had heard about it, but you never got a chance to actually see it. Breathtaking. You stopped to take it in.

“Why’d you stop?” Guy asked, coming to perch on the same branch as you. You took a moment to catch your breath, hands on your knees.

“I’ve just never seen it before,” You confessed, motioning to the landmark. You took a deep breath, standing back up straight. “This is the line into the Land of Sound. We should probably start walking soon.”

“We can take a break, you know. We’ve been making good time.” Guy offered. He had rarely seen you interested in anything. If you wanted to take in the valley, he would happily indulge you. You stretched your limbs.

“What, are you slacking off now?” you asked haughtily. “You don’t want to be the first one to the Sound?” You regretted saying that as soon as it left your lips. It definitely wasn’t a challenge. You were just being sassy, giving him a hard time, but Guy perked up.

“Are you talking about… a race?” Guy’s eyes were wide in excitement, a dumb grin enveloping his features. You huffed, hands on your hips.

“No, I don’t want to race-” But he left before you could finish. Not one to be outdone by Might Guy of all people, you started after him. You called out from behind, “You’re ridiculous!” Guy let out a hardy laugh in front of you.

“You only say that because you’re losing!” You sped up into the tops of the trees, running across the tops. Guy took a brief look behind him, not seeing you. But before he had time to fully look back in front, you slammed down a few feet in front of him. In an instant, you pushed on a smaller branch with your foot, bending it down before launching yourself forward. It swung forward, uppercutting Guy. He grunted as you advanced smugly. “Very interesting! Very creative!”

You moved forward, flipping and maneuvering among the tree limbs. But you couldn’t keep your lead for long. Neck and neck, Guy took a straightforward route. You closed in rapidly on the border to the two lands. You both swiftly passed by Hashirama’s head. In your peripheral area, you caught a glimpse of his opponent, Madara. You passed by their silent stare off, landing in the Land of Sound.

Guy had his arms crossed, his chest puffed. You blew a strand of hair from your face.

“Okay, you ‘won’. Doesn’t mean you have to gloat.”

Guy’s smile grew wider. You turned away with a scoff, beginning to walk down the outskirts of the forest. You found a beaten path. This was likely the route that civilians typically took. Guy followed as you sauntered away, trying not to betray how sore you were about your defeat.

Despite expending energy on your “challenge”, Guy hovered energetically around you. Out of your peripheral you saw his animaled hand motions. Your mind filled in the wide eyes and raised brows which he without a doubt wore. You strolled on and Guy chatted on. You didn’t know someone could talk for so long. You didn’t particularly care to register what he said. Perhaps, being tuned out was your mistake. You focused on the path ahead, searching for chakra signatures every once in a while. What you were not focused on, was the hand that came to clamp down on your shoulder. The fingers that brushed against your skin. It should have been a friendly touch, a playful gesture to most, but as soon as Guy’s skin met yours, the same electric current that you felt that morning coursed through your body.

It happened in an instant. The sensation faintly rose within you, looming, running behind the scenes of your sensory system. You felt it at your core, something that could only be described as purely Might Guy. His will stood out sharply and his energy zapped throughout every fiber of your being. The feeling deposited itself in your bones, picking up something to exchange. You felt it: the mix of emotions, the anger, the annoyance, and something else. Something you couldn’t quite put your finger on began to leave your system. You had never felt this feeling before. Your heart began to pound in your chest.

You shoved him away.

“Don’t touch me!” You shrieked. You stumbled a few steps back, wrapping your arms around yourself. Your eyes widened from your rapid heart rate. Guy had stopped in his tracks, slightly shaken, holding his hands defensively and low. You looked into his eyes, panicked. Softly, you warned him, “Don’t touch my skin.”

Guy’s eyes were on you, betraying worry. You felt that your heart had skipped a beat. You found yourself holding your breath. Your chest moved as you slowly exhaled. Guy waited for your word, standing stone-faced and silent. You flushed slightly, ashamed at your outburst. The corners of Guy’s lips turned upward as he gave you a reassuring nod. You relaxed, but Guy did not.

He glanced over your shoulder, unmoving. You turned only to be met with a pair of Sound Ninja. How could you not sense them before?

“Is there a problem here?” the first patrol asked.

“Not at all, sir!” Guy answered with his usual Might Guy charisma.

“No, problem!” You laughed, “There was just a spider! Came straight down on my head! Sorry to inconvenience you two, so embarrassing!” The two patrols weren’t interested.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” the second dismissed. He glanced at you over, eyes lingering in a downward position as he smirked. He shifted closer to you. Guy tensed. The first patrol came around you, to sandwich you and Guy between the two of them. “What’s your business in the Country of Rice?”

“Work,” Guy responded.

“Do you have work visas?” the patrol closest to you questioned, leaning down, his face now in close proximity to yours.

“Yes.” You took the opportunity to take a step back as you reached into the side of your pack. You produced two small booklets. The second patrol’s hands came over yours and took them from your hands. You felt a small shock, but nothing near as electrifying as when Guy touched you. Instead, it was the slimy feeling of a weak will. A feeling you were familiar with and confident you could conquer. You looked into the eyes of the Sound ninja. His hand lingered a bit longer at your stare. A small burst of chakra. “We are simple travelers and nothing more.”

The ninja’s eyes glossed over. You removed your hand from his. Handing one to his partner. You focused on the dazed ninja as he idly flipped through the little booklet.

“Aoki Genki-” You second glanced at Guy and then to you- “and Takeuchi Yume… tell me, have you seen any Leaf ninja wandering these parts?”

“We haven’t seen much of _anyone_ wandering these parts.” Guy’s statement wasn’t false. “Why? Is something the matter?”

“Another patrol squad got roughed up at the border not too long ago. By what we can only _assume_ from the fallout, it was a _group_ of Leaf ninja.” The first patrol answered, following his partner’s lead.

You inwardly rolled your eyes. You got confirmation that the squad that ambushed you _were_ ninja working on behalf of the Sound, but they were most definitely not at the border.

“How terrifying!” you feigned.

“Let someone know if you see anything,” The two ninja handed your visas back to you. You tucked them back away. “We wish you safety in your travels.”

“We will,” you assured them, smiling graciously, “Thank you for your service.”

The Sound patrol disappeared. The second ninja was still glossy-eyed.

You and Guy spent the rest of the walk in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finals have been crazy. I’m trying to do these once a week but the next might be delayed a bit. I’m trying to not edit these too much. I want to do this for fun but I can’t help but stress myself out when it comes to series and if people like them. I’ll keep doing these for fun!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oop here it is. Reminder that Cabaret is a rated M fic and this is about where we get more into that rating.
> 
> Warning for sexual harassment: unwanted grope.

You reached your temporary residence on the outskirts of the Hidden Sound by nightfall. Weary from your journey, you hardly remembered getting up the stairs of the complex. You stumbled through the door, tossing your bag on the floor before you collapsed on the bed. You placed a pillow over your eyes and sprawled your limbs across the sheets.

A rattle came from across the room.

“Did you even look around the place?” Guy’s voice resounded in your ears. You let out a string of curse words, too exhausted to move from your position on your bed.

“Why?” you lamented, “Why are our rooms fucking connected?” You moaned into your hands. You knew you didn’t have much time before you had to set out again, you just hoped that that time would be spent in peace. Sitting up, the pillow fell into your lap. You took in the small living area where Guy leaned against a very discrete door. If it had not been ajar, you wouldn’t have seen it at all. Only the lock at the very bottom revealed its location.

“You’re supposed to be a young, available bachelorette. It defeats the illusion if I’m seen leaving here all the time.”

“Who says you’ll be here all the time?” you snarkily snapped. Guy quirked an eyebrow. You huffed, moving to pick your bag off the floor. “Yeah, yeah, teamwork, I know…” You began to lay out your belongings on the bed. “Also, for the record, I’ve always been a ‘young, available bachelorette’, I don’t need to pretend to be one.”

“ _I know_.” Your head snapped up from your meticulously folded clothes.

“What’s that supposed to mean, Eyebrows?” You hissed, putting one hand on your hips. Guy moved farther into your temporary apartment. He leaned against your couch, a hand on the back of it.

“Remember that time Genma asked you out as a dare in the academy?”

“You remember that?” you groaned.

“He had a black eye for a _month_.” Guy chuckled. “I think everyone remembers that.” A smile cracked on your face.

“He deserved it though!” You insisted, waving a makeup brush at him. “I didn’t even know it was a joke, I just thought he was being an idiot.” Guy let out a jolly chuckle.

“Well, you’re not wrong there.” You moved to the bathroom a few feet away from Guy, carefully storing your neatly organized cosmetics. You went back to your bed, gathering more items. Your partner stood, migrating to lean against the doorframe, watching you work. “So tell me, what is all that anyway?”

“These?” You looked up, a few airtight bags in your hands, “Wigs?”

“All of it.” He laughed bashfully. You hummed, tinkering with the cabinets.

“Um, it’s a lot of things really. Wigs, brushes, latex. They’re all kinda for different things so I couldn’t really tell you without going on about it all.” You held the small bottle in your hand. You hesitated. Glancing up to Guy, your eyebrows wove together. “Why are you asking?” You squinted your eyes at him before tending to your items once more.

“Well, I’m curious and I think you do good work.” Those words stopped you once again. You blinked a few times, squatted on the floor. You twirled a hairbrush in your hand as you stood.

“Oh.” You moved past him. Your heart pounded in your chest as you attempted to think of something better to say. The words didn’t come to you. You reached for your now empty pack, kicking it under your bed. You stood in front of the mirror. Giving your faux hair a brush, you glanced at Guy who was still leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom. Leaning forward, you looked at him with a muddled expression and reached around the frame to switch off the light.

“Aren’t you going to go get ready?” You signed, returning back to the mirror. A stick of lipstain rolled over the rim of your mouth. You stood up straight, adjusting your shoulders. “Because that would be a better use of your time rather than staring at me doing my makeup like this morning.” Guy seemed to snap out of his thoughts, striking his classic thumbs-up pose.

“Yes, I am!” You rolled your eyes as he bounded to the small door, closing it behind him as he left.

You considered the wardrobe next to your bed. Your outfits hung up neatly and you plucked out a red dress. You slipped it on and zipped it up yourself, feeling the fabric hugging your frame and coming snugly around your neck. Your hands ran down the lace, smoothing it down your thighs. A pair of fine gloves rolled up your hands as you grabbed a small bag, slinging it over your shoulder. You checked your cosmetic touch ups once more in the mirror. Satisfied with your appearance, you exited the small living space.

Guy was waiting for you in the hall. He fiddled with his sleeves, rolling them to the elbow, showing off his well built forearms. He adjusted his leather suspenders over his shoulders. The black button up tucked into simple slacks. The buttons strained, giving way to the muscle that was outlined by the fabric’s thinness. He cleaned up nicely. You turned away, attempting to appear ever aloof. Guy’s face lit up as he opened his mouth to compliment you. You held a hand up and cleared your throat.

“Let’s go.” You offered curtly before Guy got a word in. Guy accompanied you down the stairs and down onto the street. His stare lingering on your figure as he trailed somewhat behind. Guy glanced back up at the back of your head, quickly shaking himself out of his trance. He’s not about to objectify you like that. You would surely murder him if you caught him anyway. He strolled leisurely at your side in contrast to your determined walk as you made your way down the street.

It was almost odd to see that the Hidden Sound Village looked like any other village. From what you heard about it, it was not what you expected, not that you would share this goofy thought with Guy. The buildings were the same as in the Leaf. They had the same wooden structure, the same thatched roofs. The few civilians that milled around the residential area wore similar robes dyed with locally sourced pigments. One main road bisected the neatly laid out districts which made it simple for you and Guy to navigate. The streets were lit with lanterns. As you traveled, the lights multiplied as the city morphed from community storage to bustling downtown businesses.

Dubious characters littered the street but you pressed on. If there was one thing that the Sound lacked, it certainly was not night life. You paid little attention to the whistles you got as you passed. Neon signs and flashy displays form boisterous bars seemed to now exclusively light the streets and one shone brightest. For a moment, you and Guy took in the outside. You took in your new place of work with a deep breath in. The name “HEAVEN” swung out onto the avenue and radiated in bright neon on the outside of the establishment. On the building, the outline of a woman in a short dress practically lit the whole street. The halo on her head blinked on and off. You straightened your shoulders and entered.

You stepped into a world of plush walls. Your kitten heels clicked against the hardwood before sinking into the velvet carpet that led to the maître d'. Ornate traditional Japanese decoration ordained the larger woman’s European features. She took you in with questioning eyes. To both her sides existed space that opened into the main lounge. You could only see the front bits of it from where you stood. The wall behind her obscured the rest. The lady inspected you over. It must be rare for a woman to pass through here.

“We’re here to speak to Shima-san.” She took you in, closing the large book that rested on the podium. “We’re your new hires.” The woman’s glasses slid to the end of her nose.

“Ah, yes. You must be the new _girl_.” She narrowed her eyes at you before glancing up at Guy. She seemed more comfortable with your partner’s presence. “It will be nice to have a competent bartender from what I am told of your skills. Come with me.”

Her embellished robes flowed behind her as she led you into the lounge. Your eyes adjusted to the low lighting. Panels hung from the ceiling and modern lamps glowed around the tables. The chique fixtures tastefully placed around make for a modern ambiance. Low circular booths embellished with plush adorned the large space where groups of men sat with their arms around elegant women. Two hostesses in evening gowns occupied the small stage in the center of it all. Their sultry voices filled the room.

Strips illuminated the rim of the bar counter and the back bar glowed. A blond woman worked behind the counter in her evening gown, scrambling with tears near the edge of her eyes as she shuffled from one side of the bar to the other. The woman who met you at the entrance led you past the struggling bartender into a back hallway on the right. The woman knocked on the door that lay at the end of the hall and an energetic voice could be heard from the other side.

She opened the door for you and Guy to reveal a small office. Papers scattered across the mahogany desk, frames tilted crookedly on the mahogany paneling. A man sat in the middle of the chaos, rubbing his goatee. His eyes lit up on seeing his guests.

“Ah! Come in, come in, I have been awaiting your arrival!” the man sitting behind the desk exclaimed. He came around in front of his desk, glancing up at the woman. “Thank you, Mama-san.” She closed the door, retreating back into the hall.

“Thank you for having us, Shima-san.” Guy remarked. The two of you bowed to your new employer.

“Please, call me Daisuke! You must be Aoki-san.” He reached for Guy’s hand, giving it a rigorous shake. Guy was momentarily shocked before he returned the energy. Daisuke turned to you, grabbing your gloved hand, he gave it a kiss. “And you must be Takeuchi-san. Gorgeous, even more beautiful than described!”

“You’re too kind.” The owner waved you off. He motioned to the two plush chairs in front of his desk before maneuvering around to the other side, pulling out a file as he settled back into his seat.

You and Guy sunk into the chairs. You took in the man across from you with poised posture. You learned against the arm of your chair, sitting on the edge with your wrists and ankles crossed. Daisuke did not look young, but not necessarily old either. Fifties? Sixties? You would have to consult with Guy as to your best guesses later. Wrinkles showed around his eyes as he smiled at the two of you. Guy leaned back in his chair, lounging in stark contrast to you.

“ I have heard a lot about you two!” Daisuke flipped through the pages. You resumes, supplied by the informant, you guessed. “Very talented professionals, we are happy to have you here! I was surprised, though, as to why two such talented folks such as yourselves would want to make the trek from the Leaf all the way over to this dinky ol’ place!”

“No, no not at all, Daisuke-san.” You gave a jovial laugh. “Trust us, the journey is well worth it!”

“Just being here in the Sound is like a breath of fresh air,” Guy crossed his legs, the ends of his mouth upturned, “The Leaf takes itself too seriously, it’s like living in a police state over there! I can’t speak for Takeuchi-san, of course, but I’m excited to start my life over here.” You smiled politely at Guy.

“My words exactly, Aoki-san.” You chirped.

“It’s kismet!” Daisuke exclaimed animatedly, slapping the edge of his desk as punctuation which made him chuckle louder. You noted how easily he became pleased with an audience.

“As for getting down to business,” Daisuke shook his hands in a dramatic fashion. “I was hoping that you two could start tomorrow. As much as I’ve been hearing great things, I would like to see you both in action. We didn’t get a chance to have an interview in person and I’d like to see your skills!”

“Why, of course, I feel that’s only logical.” You nodded.

“With beauty like yours, you’ll be a hit in no time, gorgeous Takeuchi-san.” Daisuke turned to Guy. “We haven’t had an actual bartender in a while either! Needless to say, I’m not expecting to be disappointed.” He stood from his chair and you followed suit.

“It was very nice meeting you, Daisuke-san.”

“Come an hour or two before we open tomorrow so you can get an idea of the place.” Daisuke stood from his chair once again.

“Wonderful idea.” Guy remarked. Opening the door, Daisuke showed you out of his office after polite farewells. You maintained your pleasant exterior, even as the door shut behind you.

You were more focused on getting back to your room than anything else. It would be nice to break character and go to bed. You traveled back down the hall, past the blond bartender, the businessmen with their arms around hostesses, and out of the range of Mama-san’s stare. She nodded in acknowledgement at your presence as if to bid you farewell. Guy flashed her a smile, lagging behind you. You stepped back into the plain of neon lights, marching back the way you originally came. Maybe you’d make yourself a small meal before going to bed.

An arm snaked around your waist and a hand on your rear. You didn’t register it at first, but when you did, you slowed, stopping in your tracks. You immediately thought, hoped to Kami, that for some odd reason it was Guy. You looked over your shoulder, locking eyes with him as he was just coming out the door of “HEAVEN”. You looked up at the man with his arm around you. His slender face contorted into a sleazy smile. You tore away from him. Your face scrunched up in anger.

“The fuck are you trying to pull, you fucker?” The man said nothing. Guy came between the two of you. The man puffed out his chest as if to try to size him up. Guy looked at you, silently telling you to continue forward. You huffed and Guy followed, keeping an eye on the stranger. You seethed for the rest of the way back. Guy was silent, giving you space as you boiled.

You both entered your rooms separately. You flung your heels off and tossed your gloves on the floor. You tugged at your hair, feeling the rip of the glue against your skin. The wig flew onto your nightstand along with your cap. You’d take care of it when you were in a better mood. You took a wipe to your make up.

“I could have taken him, you know.” you snapped, standing in your bathroom.

“You could have, I have no doubt.” You heard Guy remark from somewhere in your living area. You tossed the wipe in the trash, storming out into your studio where Guy sat on your couch.

“I could’ve fucked him up,” You surged, zipping an oversized sweatshirt over your dress. You wriggled the red garb out from under it in a swift movement, tossing it on the bed. “I should’ve-... I should’ve made him fling himself off a bridge, that’s what I should’ve done!” You paused, taking your partner in. “What are you doing in my room?”

“Something told me that you needed to decompress,” He unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, “And what kind of partner would I couldn’t help with that.” Guy winked at you. You rolled your eyes at his thumbs-up. You stomped to the kitchenette, wetting a paper towel. You tapped your foot against the floor as you rubbed the wig glue out of your hairline. Guy brought a bottle to his lips.

“Where did you get beer?” You stopped mid dab. Guy held another one up with his other hand. Not looking back, he placed it on the couch next to him. Enveloping the paper, you scrambled over to check the fridge. You could’ve cried. “Please remind me to kiss the envoy if we ever meet him.” You threw the wet wad away, reaching over the couch to grab the bottle. You cracked it open on the doorframe to the bathroom before sitting next to Guy. You immediately started downing it, not coming up for air until the liquid had disappeared halfway. He took a long glance at you, chest rumbling as he laughed.

“Slow down there! I brought this to you to take the edge off. I thought you’d _sip_ it.” Guy scratched his temple, the smile fading from his lips. “Can’t do this every time someone gets handsy, right?”

You hummed in question, having downed half your bottle. “Get angry, then drunk?” Guy glanced down at his almost full portion, then back up at you. He crossed his legs, tilting his head. He blinked.

“You’re planning on getting drunk?” You sighed, taking another long swig.

“I’m pissed.”

“You can’t get drunk every time you’re upset.” Guy told you slowly. His eyes nervously shifted.

“Are you saying I shouldn’t be pissed at a dude grabbing my ass?” You arched a brow, placing your now empty bottle on the table. “Not being able to do anything about it?”

“Not what I’m saying. He deserved to be knocked into next week and under normal circumstances I wouldn’t get in your way.” Guy set his drink on the table as well, still full. He leaned back again. “But you’re working as a hostess now in order to gather sensitive information. Unfortunately, you can’t drink every time you get unwanted attention, as much as they deserve a swift punch to the mouth.”

“I don’t like being touched when I don’t want to be touched.” You reached for his beverage. Guy quickly put up a hand to stop yours.

“Well, you also signed up to take missions.” You shrunk into the back of the couch. “You knew when you entered the academy that you might be called to do less than savory things in your career.”

“I was also, what? Seven?” You breathed. You fiddled your hands in your lap, throwing your head back. Guy shifted in his seat, turning more towards you. He wore a serious look on his face. Guy glanced down, trying to choose his words. “I get it, we’re on a job.”

“(Y/N), I don’t really know much about what you do, but I do know that you’re the best at recon. I’m just saying to prepare yourself, watch your back.” You snorted.

“I thought that’s what you were here for-” His wide eyes met yours. The back of the couch still supported your neck as your natural hair sprawled out behind you- “to watch my back.” You missed the red that sprinkled his cheeks.

He opened his mouth, taking just a second to snap out the shock.

“No, uh… I mean yes, but I meant-”

“I know what you meant, don’t worry about it.” You cut him off. Guy looked deeply at you.

“I was assigned to protect you. You know I’ll back you up.” You let out a snicker to yourself.

“I’ll allow it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to make it clear that I do not condone sexual harassment or assault. If you find you yourself on the receiving end of this kind of treatment please do not be afraid to speak up and advocate for yourself because chances are that you’re not an undercover ninja trying to collect intel from jerks. It’s also tempting to try to drown your feelings in something else but please try to find healthy outlets and find someone to talk to. 
> 
> Also, I’ve been doing research on hostesses/cabaret girls. It is inherently a dark and adult topic (as much as it would be easier for the world to be like Ouran). I do not intend on writing triggering material, but I will continue tag warnings.


	5. Chapter 5

Sundown approached quickly, but you made it to your destination before it became dark. Your heels once again sunk into the fabric of the velvet carpet of “HEAVEN”. Mama-san did not stand at the front podium today. Instead, in front of it sat the blonde bartender from the previous day. When she saw you, her visible excitement showed immediately as she bounded towards you.

“You must be Takeuchi-san!” she cried, her high pigtails bouncing behind her. “It is _so nice_ to meet you! You are so pretty!” She grabbed your gloved hands. You could practically see sparkles in her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Your eyebrows knit together as you crouched sheepishly, “And you are?” The blonde stumbled back with a gasp that made you jump. You looked about wildly as to find the source of such an extreme reaction, only finding yourself.

“I didn’t introduce myself!” She slapped herself across the cheek. Your eyes widened as wide as your jaw dropped. You probably could have heard the smack from across the room. How do you respond to that? She shook herself out of it before you could figure it out. She bowed deeply, “I am Chiasa Fuse! It is very nice to meet you!”

“Um… hello, Fus-”

“Please call me Chi-chan! Oh, I should have just told you that from the beginning… That’s what everyone else calls me!” She looked down, playing with the hem of her white, floral gown. Tears appeared in her waterline. You took a breath, you could definitely not get touched by this one.

“So… I’m guessing Daisuke-san arranged for you to show me the ropes?” Chiasa snapped up, tears near gone at this point as she exclaimed,

“Yes! Of course!” She took your hands again, leading you off and you silently thanked Kami for your thick gloves.

Only staff populated the main lounge between custodial workers who disinfected tables to the hostesses who were waiting for opening. Daisuke sat at the bar where you found Guy. Guy’s appearance did not differ much from the previous night. The black button up had been traded in for a white one and a bowtie sat between his collarbones. You pursed your lips. Your eyes meeting Guy’s, you gave him a playful look of approval. He winked in subtle response.

“Ah! Takeuchi-san!” Daisuke roared. He held up his drink. “This man makes the best daiquiri I’ve ever tasted! Why didn’t you tell me that I’d be in for the experience of a lifetime?!” He cackled, turning back to Guy who gave a humble chuckle. You returned the expression.

“Unfortunately, I did not know Aoki-san before coming here.” You told him politely. “Believe me, if I knew I would have told you!”

“Oooh, yes I heard you journeyed from the Leaf! I hear that place is full of savage ninja.” Chiasa gossiped.

“I’m looking forward to seeing you in action next, my dear,” Daisuke told you. He hesitated. “You do know we have a room for the girls to prepare in, correct? You don’t have to make the trip here all dolled up.” Chiasa yelped again.

“I was just taking her there, Daisuke-san!”

“Wonderful, you are in exceptional hands then!” Chiasa tugged you towards the same entrance to the right of the bar.

“Always a pleasure, Daisuke-san.” You made one last smile at the two men before you were tugged down the hall.

Chiasa opened the first door. You glanced to your left at Daisuke’s office door at the end of the hall before you were pulled into the room. The walls were lined with vanities and they sat back to back in a row down the middle. There were only about 6 girls in the otherwise empty room.

“Hey ladies! We got someone new working with us!” Chiasa announced to the room. “This is Takeuchi Yume!” You couldn’t get a word in as Chiasa then dragged you over to a stool in front of a vanity against the right hand wall. The other girls hardly batted an eye. She sat down at the one next to it, looking at you expectantly with her hands under her chin. You slowly lowered yourself onto to sit.

“This is mine?” You asked.

“Yep! And it’s right next to mine!” _Joy._ You took in your new space. The table held three drawers: one on the top left, a long one in the middle, and one on the top right. A tri fold mirror sat in front of you, a ring light clipped onto the top and hanging down. The top had been cleaned off, but dust remained in the crevices where the mirror met the table. “You can store all your cosmetics here and I cleared you a space in the closet.” Chiasa motioned to the back of the room. “We share dresses here a lot, but if you don’t want anyone to touch something of yours, you can just put your name on it. You should bring your things in tomorrow!”

“Thank you, Chi-chan, I really appreciate it.” She reached out to give your hair a puff.

“It looks like you don’t need any of my help when it comes to the aesthetics! I can tell you’re that classy type… though I’ll tell you, you shouldn’t be afraid of going overboard a little, especially if you want to get into the back lounge.”

“Ugh, you gotta be lucky and damn popular to get into there. Don’t even try.” An exasperated sigh came from your right. You turned, watching the hostess wrestle with a large hairpiece. The brunette piece sat in a beehive on her head. Her hands tussled with the clips.

“What’s in the back lounge?” You wondered. The new hostess smoothed out her hair in the mirror before turning to you.

“It’s where the _men_ talk their _business_ of course.” The woman told you. She extended a hand, “Yuzuki, the girls call me Yu-Yu.” You took her hand graciously.

“They always order _a lot_ of drinks. It’s one of the big reasons everyone wants back there. The commission is huge!” Chiasa explained, her lips scrunched. “There’s always so many of them!”

“And who doesn’t like a bit of gossip?” Yuzuki’s voice rang silkily in your ears. “Of course, you have to be invited and pray you won’t end up at the bottom of Lightning Bay.” You eyed her curiously.

“Why’s that?” You questioned. Yuzuki blinked at you, eyes widened in surprise. She gave out a small laugh. Reaching into one of her drawers, she took out a box of cigarettes and a lighter. Plucking one out, she lit it, taking a drag.

“Honey,” Amusement carried in her voice. She locked eyes with you. “This is the Hidden Sound. If Orochimaru’s boys want you, they’re going to take you and sure as hell won’t hesitate to kill you either, dear.”

“But you won’t have to deal with them, Takeuchi-san!” Chiasa reminded you quickly, leaning forward to hiss at Yuzuki. “You’re scaring her!”

“No,” You denied, turning back to Yuzuki, “I want to hear more about the back lounge.” Yuzuki took another long drag of her cigarette, blowing it out the side of her mouth. The door to the dressing room swung open.

“It’s almost time!” Another hostess announced into the room. “Thirty more minutes to opening!” She shut the door.

“Another time,” She sighed. Yuzuki hiked up her gown, maneuvering around her stool. “My regulars are an unsavory group of men, but they pay my rent. I want to get in a few drinks to prepare.”

“You drink on the job?” She huffed, taking one last puff.

“We’re drinking _all night_ , dear. That’s what brings in the cash. I swear, it’s the only way to do this job.” Yuzuki put out her snout out in the ashtray on her vanity and quickly disappeared through the door.

“Oh, Takeuchi-san!” You turned towards Chiasa, who once again, gripped your hands tightly.

“Please, you can call me Yume, Chi-chan.” Chiasa’s eyes sparkled.

“Yume-san-”

“No need to be so formal, really, Chi-chan.” She took a trembling breath.

“Yume, I’m so happy to work with you! You’ll be rotating tables with me tonight.” Chiasa looked down at your gloves. “You’re going to take these off, right?” You hesitated.

“Yes, of course.” You slowly slipped them off your hands, placing them on the vanity. Chiasa stood abruptly.

“Alright! Let’s go!” She showed you out the door. “So you’re new here, so pretty much the goal for tonight is to get you out there! We get bonuses for bringing in regulars, so we’ll be rotating tables. A lot of groups get pretty rowdy so you’ll always have a few of us gals by your side! Now, the customers aren’t _supposed_ to get too handsy… ” Chiasa’s voice faded in your ears as you caught sight of the bar. “Think of it all like a game! That’s how I think of it, like pretend!...”

The entire cast of hostesses must have been gathered around the bar and Guy was the center of their attention. A single cup sat on the counter as Guy juggled four liquor bottles. The containers bounced off his wrists and elbows. One landed on his forehead, two balanced on his left bicep, and the last he caught in a reverse grip, pouring the last of the drink. The women clapped as he pushed the drink to the woman at the center.

“Wow,” Chiasa exhaled. You realized that you stopped to watch and somewhere along the way, Chiasa had ceased talking. “Genki-san is amazing.”

“Okay, girls. You can all ogle at _closing_.” Mama-san walked briskly into the lounge, waving her arms. Her sleeves waved like butterfly wings as she motioned.

“Mama-san!” Guy greeted jovially. “Might I interest you in a drink?” The older woman adjusted herself.

“No thank you, Genki. While the offer is much appreciated, you are _distracting_ my girls.” She told him sternly.

“Apologies ma’am, I’ll try not to let it happen again.” That answer seemed to satisfy Mama-san. She strutted down the hall to Daisuke’s office.

Not too long after opening, you had your first table. You and Chiasa sat down at a booth of Sound Ninja. You looked at the table, noticing a large laminated sheet. On it showed the faces of the groups of hostesses working with small descriptions by their faces. Just as demeaning as you imagined…

“Hiya boys!” Chiasa winked. “What are we drinking tonight?” She leaned seductively over the table and the ninja gave a rowdy cheer. She made it look effortless, wrapping each one around her finger one by one. Chiasa turned to you, pulling you close to her. “Yume-chan, let’s get a round of champagne for these gentlemen!” She went around, plopping herself in the middle of two.

You sighed in relief as you went off to grab the champagne. Something about locking eyes with Guy at the bar sent a wave of relief through your system. As the only familiar person in a hundred foot radius, it shouldn’t have surprised you. You relayed the order and in no time he had a tray prepared. Guy’s eyes met yours. With a small smile, he gave a slight nod of his head in encouragement. It settled your nerves, but not by much as you walked back to the booth. Setting the tray on the table, you plucked up one flute.

Following Chiasa’s lead, you sat between the two other men. She had the group laughing as the compliments kept rolling from her tongue.

“Evening… gentlemen.” You greeted stiffly. Chiasa remained in your peripheral and you attempted your best mimicry. “I’d imagine two… strapping young ninja such as yourselves would… um… want to be doing something much more dangerous…” You cringed inwardly. The ninja on your left chuckled.

“We’re here to blow off steam, sweetheart, not talk about work.” A hand made its way to your thigh, resting on the fabric of your dress. You looked down, the hand and your drink in your focus. You gulped and unlike last night, angry heat did not rise up your spine. Instead, inklings of fear spread throughout your system as you suddenly felt helplessness set in. You gripped your drink tightly, choosing to force a giggle as you quickly downed your beverage.

“Whoa there!” The ninja to your right exclaimed, an arm coming to sling over your shoulder. He flicked his sloppy black bangs to the side. “He said ‘blow off some steam’ not ‘black out’! You know you’re supposed to sip changaene, right?” Those words sounded familiar. You set the empty glass on the tray. You took in the man’s words and choppy black hair. You thought about Guy’s mini student. If he was older, he might end up looking like the ninja sitting next to you.

You were already feeling warmth from the burn on the back of your throat. Your lips puckered for a moment at the sourness. The heat gathered in your chest. You reached up, caressing his high cheekbones. You thought about Guy’s cheekbones, how easy talking to him was last night.

“Well, this is a party, isn’t it?” Your hand came to envelop the one on your thigh. With subtlety, you worked it down your leg. “What do we say? Are we ready for something stronger?” The table whooped in excitement and you made a swanky show of getting up to get the drinks.

You traveled to the bar once more, twice, three times. The more you drank, the looser you got. The more you drank, the more the ninja to your right looked like Might Guy. You sat happily between the two ninja, telling anecdotes. You weren’t sure if you were actually funny or if it was just the alcohol, but the anxiety slowly began to dissipate.

“You really pretended to be the daimyō’s daughter?” The ninja to the left of Chiasa questioned, nearly in tears.

“No one noticed for the _whole day._ ” You held your hands up dramatically. The whole booth was in hysterics. You felt the rumble of the two men next to you. You looked up at the clock. Their time was up.

“Oh no!” Chiasa gasped. “It looks like we’ve run out of time!” She pouted. “Would you like a time extension?” The ninja began to shift in their seats and stood.

“No, thank you darling. We’ll be back soon to visit, don’t worry, beautiful.” One of the ninja slipped a few ryō into Chiasa’s dress. The whole lot of them paid the tab and left.

You and Chiasa cleared the table, taking to the trays to the small kitchen across from the dressing room and behind the bar. You got your second, third and fourth tables shortly after and the more tables, the drunker you became. The words slipped out of your mouth with ease: the flattery, the flirting.

You were at your fifth table when you saw it. In your peripheral came a small group of men walking into the door to the left of the bar. The back room, you assumed. A woman trailed behind them. The woman sat at the bar and stayed there until closing.

You watched as one by one, they disappeared through the entrance. You found yourself staring and a mask staring back at you. Silver tuffs peaked out behind it. The masked figure slowly brought up an arm. The holes in his mask were black, neverending. You suddenly felt more sober. His fingers folded, he pointed directly at you. When you blinked, he was gone. You took a drink.

You rid your mind of the masked mystery man. When you left, you saw the woman waiting outside. She didn’t acknowledge you. The men in the back room remained after closing, but you were urged by Chiasa to leave. Guy stayed behind to serve drinks so you walked home alone.

You made it back to your lodgings with no issue, but out of the corner of your eye, you thought you saw silver.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's canon that Yuzuki is just Janet Snakehole in disguise.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minor Sexual Assault (you are kissed without permission), adult themes, alcohol, foul language

You were at the club early the following day. You sat down at the bar with a deep exhale. Guy hadn’t arrived but the girls helped themselves to what was behind the counter. You couldn’t choose between water or hair of the dog. You opted for both.

The hangover wasn’t the only factor worsening your exhaustion. Chiasa had just helped you finish hanging up your gowns. One gown on its own didn’t yield much weight, but you severely underestimated how heavy multiple evening gowns became when jutsu wasn’t used to store them. Your headache from your first night on the job pounded in your ears. You were just about done downing your third glass of water when you heard a man clear his throat.

You turned on the stool, seeing the Sound ninja from last night. He wore his uniform still… and still looked the slightest bit like Might Guy. You blinked rapidly, trying to physically banish the comparison from your head. His bangs framed his hitai-ate. The eighth note on his forehead shone under the lowlights of the club.

“Oh, hello.” You greeted him weakly.

“Accompany me for a walk.” His demanding words carried a passive tone. It was not a question. You looked over to one of the other hostesses. She did not look back, but her side eye told you that you better leave with the ninja before you.

You removed your gloves and placed them on the counter before following the man out of the building. It was that time again. The sun just began to set on the Sound. You didn’t know what it was, but the sunsets appeared different in the Hidden Sound. Equally beautiful, but different. The air smelled like the ocean.

You walked with the ninja. The sandy gravel of the path crunched under your heels.

You noted his sports gloves and the hole open on the back, exposing the skin of his hand. Another patch lay exposed between his ear and his scarf. You took in the many cuts and scrapes on his arms, honing in on four puncture wounds. His face remained unobscured. You remembered his high cheekbones from the night before. You remembered his lean frame. You remembered his bangs, his almond shaped eyes and thin lips.

“I would like to take you on a date.” The ninja told you. “You will be compensated for your time and the meal. I already worked it out with the woman known as Mama-san. I’ve taken a liking to you and you will be ready for me here tomorrow before you work at six. Then, you will sit with me for a drink. This conversation is a courtesy, of course.”

You felt an unpleasant pang in your chest. Objectification. Subhumanity. The sheer fact that he thought that he was doing you a favor to tell you before buying you was enough to lose your temper where you stood, but you shut your mouth. You had no choice but to accept, but that did not mean you wouldn’t seethe silently the whole way back to “HEAVEN”.

“Marigolds keep snakes away.” You told him when you got back.

“What?”

“The snake bites on your arms. Marigolds.”

***

“It’s called dohan,” Chiara explained when you told her later. “You’re very lucky!” She told you, lips puckered and eyes bright. _Lucky_. “You get extra money for dohan! You just got yourself a regular, Yume-san!” In her excitement, she nearly tripped. You caught the tray of empty champagne flutes from the table you just cleared. You exited the kitchen when another hostess approached the two of you.

“There’s a request for Yume-san at table fifteen.”

“Okay! We’ll be out in a moment!” Chiara chirped.

“Just Yume-san.”

“Just Yume-san?” Chiara questioned. The hostess nodded. She perked up. “It might be that guy you told me about! From earlier! You’re doing such a great job, I can’t believe you already have regulars!” You frowned, less than happy at such a prospect.

Your two coworkers sent you out with a tray with a scotch and a martini.

“I’ll take a scotch and whatever it is that the lady wants.” Your new client apparently said.

You sauntered past the bar to your assigned table in the upper left corner of the club. A hostess performed on stage and her gorgeous melodies flowed throughout the area. She shook her hips, making explicit gestures as she ran her hands down her body. Another hostess accompanied her on the piano. Another few played various brass instruments. You would have to ask Chiasa about that later.

You caught sight of your client. You nearly stopped in your tracks. Seeing his full face now, your mind flashed back to the Leaf’s bingo book, but you pressed on as to not alarm the wanted man. He lounged in the booth like a prince upon a throne. He lazily swirled around the ice in his drink. His hitai-ate restrained his overflowing silver locks. When he noticed you approaching, he made no effort to adjust his posture.

You placed the tray on the table in front of him. You pushed down the heat rising to your skin and picked up your martini. You handed him his scotch, mentally picturing him in cuffs on his way to prison. He gave you a silent nod of acknowledgement as you sat down next to him. His arm immediately came to rest around your shoulders. His circular glasses caught the light from the lamp above.

“Hiya… Handsome, how are we doing today?” The words were still clunky as they rolled off your tongue despite your day of experience.

“Just fine, thank you,” He took a sip of his drink and put it back down on the table. His eyes narrowed and a wide smirk encompassed his lips. The hand around your shoulder played with your hair. The ninja leaned down, two fingers under your chin. His cold touch on your skin coursed through you. You fought off the urge to recoil. He breathed, “You can call me Yakushi- _sama_ , Beautiful.”

The hand in your hair came to pin your shoulder back against the booth. The shock of his touch encompassed your system, pounding in your head. He leaned down to place a kiss on your lips. You mentally shattered. You felt dizzy, your senses overloaded by his shifty spirit. He came crashing into your mind. You felt arrogance. Snark. Devotion. Loss. Need. Hunger.

Clients weren’t supposed to touch you. You weakly pushed him off you, bowing your head away before the exchange, leaving the overload of sensations erupt in your core.

When you looked into his round frames, you could have sworn he looked through you. You felt on display. You took a deep intake, the sharp frost dissipating into a balanced equilibrium.

“Of course, _Yakushi-sama_.” He looked amused at your reaction and reached back for his drink. Your smile faltered as he did so. The room may as well have been spinning. You gripped your glass, the sensation of the smooth glass under your fingertips grounding you to reality. “I’m honored that you chose me for your company tonight.”

“Well, I’ve heard a lot about you, _Yume-chan_.” You eyed him and tried to ignite a semblance of fire within you. Guy’s words echoed in your head. _Prepare yourself, watch your back_. But you found yourself unmotivated and failing. “And I must say that I am disappointed.”

Kabuto finished his drink. The cubes of ice clinked as he once again rested the glass on the table. He took out his wallet, fishing out a few ryō before he stood. The ryō were placed on the tray. And he left you alone to down your martini.

***

You stumbled into your studio apartment, wasted but sobering up. You were beginning to build up a tolerance, but that process was ever slow. You flung your heels off and tossed your gloves on the bed. You trudged to the bathroom, taking soaked rag to the glue of your wig. The lace peeled from your skin inch by inch.

You took a large bottle of mouthwash out from under the counter. Swirl, gargle, repeat. Swirl, gargle, repeat. The bottle stood half empty by the time you slammed your cup down for the last time.

You leaned, a hand on the counter. You looked up into the mirror. Your makeup smeared around your eyes and wig gel flaked at your hairline. The bags under your eyes stood out more prominently without concealer. You stripped out of your gown, hanging it up on the hook on the door.

The steam from the shower began to clear your head as you washed your hair out. But even under the hot water, you felt grimy. You scrubbed at your skin, trying to wash away the unwanted touches from the club. You pushed the loofah into your skin, but the sensation still remained. You turned the heat up before returning to lather the loofah in soap once more. You returned to roughly scoured your skin as the water scorched your back. But once again, the feeling of hands remained. You kept trying and trying and trying until your skin became red from both the heat and the friction. You could still sense them: each and every client. Their spirits etched themselves in you with every grope. Every moment of bitter exchange and unpleasant balance. The ninja from the bingo book flashed across your memories. You let out a bitter cry, throwing the loofah down. Your head met your hands as you sat, crouched, crying.

Guy had sat on your couch once again when you came out of the bathroom. You wrapped a towel around your hair. You balanced the weight as you finished buttoning up your night shirt. You sat down next to him. He did not bring beer this time.

“Rough few nights?” Guy threw on his usual jovial smile. You curled up into the couch.

““I have some things to tell you about the mission but… give me a second, okay?” That was all you said. He sat with you silently and patiently. A clock somewhere in the room ticked on. You took a deep inhale, your voice a whisper, “We need to get into that back room.”

“And we will!” Guy was overdoing it. A beat. A pause. Your features didn’t change. His voice became low, “You don’t have to go with him tomorrow.” You felt the sting of tears gathering in your ducts. You weren’t sure why you were crying.

“Yes I do.” You blinked, tears streaming down your face. You wiped them away with your sleeve. “That’s not it…” Guy cleared his throat.

“Well, I don’t think you should go.” Guy promptly put. You shook your head at him, brow furrowing farther in sadness.

“Don’t-... Guy, don’t-...” Your hand wove itself in your hair as you clenched your eyes shut. “I told you it’s not about that.”

“It would be hard for me to spot you. If anything goes wrong, I’ll be there, but it’s harder to follow you away from the club-” He began to get lost in himself.

“Guy please! I don’t know if I can do this!” His eyes met your tired puffy ones. “I know it’s not a big deal. I know I shouldn’t be bothered.” You let out a huff of a laugh as tears streamed down your cheeks. “But fuck… I hate that I’m so worked up over this.”

“What is it?”

“My kekkei genkai,” You took a breath in an attempt to slow your breathing. “Sure, I can connect myself to others. If I can get my hands on someone’s face I’m golden, you know?” You kicked a leg out. The coffee table tumbled across the floor and you cried. “But that’s when I can get information and be done. That’s when I’m in control! I can’t turn it off! I feel it all day, every touch from men and their slimy spirits.” You scrunched your nose in bitterness. “We better find what we’re looking for soon.”

“And we will.” You gripped onto a pillow, screaming into it.

“ I can see things I wish I didn’t, hear the things they want to do to me, to other women and I can’t do shit about it! Fucking pathetic!” You melted into the cushions around you. “I don’t know how much more I can handle and it’s only been two days! I-I... was the wrong choice for this.”

Your features contorted themselves in pain, in hurt. The way of the ninja always was gender neutral. It didn’t matter if you were a man or a woman or anything in between, your duty to your team remained your duty to your team. You were always a confident kunoichi or at least you thought so. The fury buried itself in your chest. You didn’t understand. You did not understand what this mission was doing to you and you didn’t like it one bit. Unable to escape, you felt it burn you from the inside out. For you were no longer a capable kunoichi, but a doll to be ordered off a menu.

“Please, talk about anything else.” You pleaded at this point. Guy’s features softened.

“Anything else, huh?” He pursed his lips. He tried to replicate the usual brightness in his eyes. You appreciated the attempt. “Well, let me tell ya’! Mine and Kakashi’s last rivalry challenge was truly one for the record books! It was a barbecue eating contest and I’m convinced that he cheated!” Guy continued on with gusto as tears fell from your eyes. “We’re seven pieces of flank steak in and all of the sudden he’s tellin’ me he has to go to the bathroom-”

You softly take his hand into yours.

A wave overtook you. You felt it again. Warm. Kind. You let his spirit swirl in your core and you exhaled thankfulness. Guy sat with you silent now like a foreigner in a sacred temple. You knew he felt it too.

“Please continue.” You whispered. Your thumb traced his knuckles. “I think I’m just tired, that’s all.”

“Ah… right! So it’s neck and neck, we both have two more plates to go…”

You basked in his comfy spirit, watching the glow in his eyes that was just for you. The sensations from the club slowly began to fade away and not once did Might Guy falter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, I was watching Spirited Away when editing this. I love Studio Ghibli, but dear lord, did they have to make Chihiro scream all her lines? Like the animation and story is gorgeous but jeez so much yelling.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y’all it’s my man MIGHT GUY’s BIRTHDAY TODAY! Damn you know I gotta do some celebratory squats. Happy Birthday, Might Guy. May you remain ever the Swol Himbo Icon™ and the Man of my Dreams™

Guy woke up in the middle of the night to find himself still on your couch. The lights still lit up the room. Guy squinted at the glare of the side lamps. A weight weighed on his chest and after a few blinks, he realized that it was you. He craned his neck and gazed upon your softened features. The tension of your day had since vacated your face. Your hand bunched up in his shirt. Sparks of chakra pulsed from your hands with every breath you took. Guy watched your chest rise. A burst of chakra came when it fell.

He felt his energy being pulled from his network and swiftly replaced by fragile warmth. Every exhale felt like a slow heartbeat. From your fingertips came a puff of fiery spirit energy. It traveled up Guy’s chest, resolving itself in front of his nose.

Guy slowly pushed himself from the couch and weaved a finger through your balled up fist. Placing your hand in your lap, he maneuvered his forearm under your knees. He picked you up with ease. Guy unconsciously held his breath, careful not to wake you as he made his way to your bed. He placed you in the unmade nest of blankets, turning the nightstand lamp off as the covers enveloped you.

Guy made his exit swift, turning off all of your lights before allowing that partitioning door to softly close.

***

When you woke the next afternoon, you felt more rested than usual. Suspiciously so, but you hardly paid any mind. After all, you had a date.

You looked at the clock. It’s blinking neon slots showed 2:47pm. You groaned and stretched, silently cursing what hostessing did to your sleep schedule. The covers were thrown aside with laziness. You might as well get used to staying up and sleeping in late if this mission was going to last as long as you assumed it was going to.

You studied your wardrobe with disinterest before plucking out a few articles of clothing that you guessed that your date would like. You frowned at your reflection in the mirror as you considered that this would be the first time you went out of your way to dress for a man. The feeling lessened at the prospect of not having to wear an evening gown for a few hours of the work day, but it did not lessen by much.

Making your way to the subtle door, you gave it a light knock before letting yourself in. As you figured, Guy had been up for quite some time. You made your way over to the kitchen where he leaned over the sink. He donned workout gear. Guy gripped a water bottle in his hand as he panted. Red overtook his face. Small beads of sweat he wiped away with a small rag.

“I didn’t get a chance to brief you last night.” You told him as you leaned on the other side of the counter. “I should probably fill you in before I go.”

Guy took a breath and another swig of water.

“You’re not going.” He exhaled. You rolled your eyes.

“Guy, just let me brief you.”

“There’s no shame in taking something you can’t handle off of your plate.” Guy placed down his water bottle. Both hands gripped the counter firmly. You almost laughed. He was kidding, right?

“I can handle myself just fine. Just let me-”

“That’s not what I got from last night.” He looked into your eyes. You kept waiting for a signature Might Guy smile or for him to break and tell you that he was just joking, but it never came. You faltered, unsure of how to answer.

“Well fuck, I’m not going to confide in you just so you can throw it back in my face.” You snapped, more disappointment in your voice than you wanted. “Let me tell you what kind of information I got yesterday-”

“It’s not safe. I can’t spot you. I can’t make sure that you’re safe the whole time.” You crossed your arms, heat rising hotter and hotter to your ears.

“I don’t know why you won’t listen to me right now. Yesterday-”

“It doesn’t matter.” You blinked, a smile of disbelief fighting onto your lips.

“Guy, what the hell?” He came around the kitchen island. You recoiled at the hand that Guy tried to place on your clothed shoulder.

“There will be other opportunities. We don’t even know if this one will help us.” You slapped his hand away. A momentary shock rippled through the two of you.

“It’s not a big deal. I don’t understand why you’re making it a big deal.”

“If it’s not a big deal, then you don’t have to go.”

“What the fuck happened to ‘We are on a mission together’?” You stepped closer. “‘Whether you like it or not, that was Lady Tsunade’s call’? Or does that just apply when I’m the one throwing the fucking tantrum.” Guy stayed silent as you challenged him. You puffed your chest out, face in close proximity to his as you glared. “I’m the point of contact so I get to call the shots.”

He spoke your name with a sigh. But you were out of the room before another word fell out of his mouth.

***

Your date rented out a whole private room for your date which made you wonder just how much more the ninja of the Sound were paid. He had taken you to a relatively nice restaurant too: a traditional place where he spoiled you with half the menu. Surely you were sore about being bought as nothing but an expensive ornament, but you couldn’t muster up the rage to be angry at free food (at least for the moment).

It was at that chabudai where you learned that his name was Shou, a Jonin-level ninja.

“Wow, that must mean you’re pretty strong, then.” You sighed, gazing with wonder into his eyes. Chiasa taught you that one. Shou looked to the side with a bashfully prideful smile.

“Well, I mean yeah, kinda.” He feigned modesty. “I mean, I’m kinda gonna be a big deal.” Your date shoved a piece of teriyaki into his mouth.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You crooned. “You gotta tell me everything! All this ninja stuff is so fascinating.” The ninja chuckled, diving into his rice.

“Top secret, missy, I can’t tell you everything.”

“Oh who’s a girl like me gonna tell?” You giggled, leaning with your elbows propping you against the table. The Sound ninja hesitated.

“Maybe later, beautiful.”

You frowned inwardly despite the coy expression plastered to your lips. You weren’t about to push it right now.

***

It became abundantly clear that perhaps Tsunade put you in the right position as a host girl after all. You stared at the empty glasses on the table, then back at your date. The Sound ninja roared with laughter, once again, in a private booth at the club. You laughed along with him, showering him with flattery as you fed him drink after drink.

“The three L’s,” You remembered Yuzuki telling you. The memory reeked of cigarettes. “Liquor Loosens Lips.”

You snuggled into your target’s side, his arm loosely around your shoulders. The rim of your glass met your lips. A gaze lingered on your skin. Your eyes narrowed and your attention immediately snapped towards the bar.

Guy stared your direction, a cup in his hand and cloth in the other. His leer raked across you and you nearly shuttered under the intensity. Guy put the clean glass with the other. You kept waiting for a look of reassurance or a subtle wink to remind you that he was there for you, but he tore himself from your connection. His diverted eyes hit you like a door slamming in your face. A pang of hurt erupted in your chest. You scoffed. Your date didn’t notice.

You grasped the bottle of scotch by the neck and refilled the ninja’s drink.

“So, Mr. “Big Deal”, how did you manage that?” You shifted in your seat, laying a hand on Shou’s chest.

“It’s not exactly legal, sweetheart.” You toyed with his robes as you pouted.

“Clients tell me these sorts of things all the time.” You glanced back to the bar. Guy was already looking your way. “I doubt that anything you could say could surprise me.”

Your hand came over his as you grasped his drink. Your breath hitched as you trained your focus on your kekkei genkai. You let a spark pass which transformed into a trickle of controlled energy. The scotch met your lips. The drunken Sound ninja studied you, tongue wetting his lips as your head came to rest on his shoulder.

“I don’t know much about it,” He began, persuaded by nothing but your touch, “But some opportunities have come up among the ninja. Some serious cash is involved I know that.”

“How cryptic of you.” You glanced down, then back up. “Cash for what?”

“Information of course.” The ninja tapped his drink and you reached for the bottle, but someone grasped it before you did.

“Having a good time, Shou?” The unfamiliar ninja in front of you mused, reading the label on the side. Your date lifted his cup with a silent nod. Wasted. You focused on the chakra flow, making the information exchange as small and undetectable as possible.

A group of them stood in front of you. Two went around to help their comrade from his seat next to you. They tipped handsomely. You recognized them from your first night of work. The rest of the group patted Shou on his back and rustled his hair, helping him as he floundered to the back room. A woman trailed behind the main group. From your recollection, she usually stayed behind. You watched as they went, disappearing behind the curtained doors to the left of the bar.

You frowned at the table. They took the bottle of scotch with them. You began to neatly gather the empty liquor glasses onto the tray, but were interrupted once more. The unsettling feeling of a man standing to close sent a shiver down your spine.

“Excuse me, Yakushi-san. Let me clear this booth and I’ll be right with you.” You attempted a pleasant exterior. The uneasy presence lingered closely behind you. A hand made its way to your waist.

“Of course.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y’all I’m glad that there are people who enjoy this series because I enjoy writing it! I love this chapter I can’t wait for you to read it!

When you returned, Kabuto had already taken it upon himself to lounge in the booth. Ice cubes clinked in the drink in his hand. Where he got it from, you couldn’t say. He most definitely didn’t get it himself. You set down a tray on the table and sat down next to your returning client.

“Kabuto Yakushi,” Kabuto quirked a brow at his name in a silent acknowledgement. His arm stretched around you, pulling you into his side. You resisted a roll of your eyes. “What a surprise to see you here again.”

“A pleasant surprise, I hope.” He spoke softly in your ear.

Your lashes fluttered shut. A restrained chuckle overtook your coy lips. Your eyes narrowed slightly as your client stared lecherously at the way the hem of your gown that dripped down your leg. The alcohol burned your throat and lit a slowly burning ember in your core.

“That depends how many drinks you plan on ordering.” Kabuto chuckled against the rim of his cup. You met his dark eyes. “What do you want, Yakushi?”

“Can’t I visit? This is a hostess club after all.” The light hit Kabuto’s frames, sending a mischievous glint past his eyes.

“Something tells me that you’re here on business.”

“Perhaps I am.”

You hummed, looking down at your martini, catching your reflection in the colored liquid. Guy’s words from earlier echoed in your ears. _That’s not what I got from last night._ You slammed back the remainder of your drink, paying little mind to your client. Kabuto studied you closely, swirling his own drink around with a flick of his wrist. Amusement flickered in his eyes. You leaned forward to snatch the bottle off the table.

As you leaned, the bar became visible to Kabuto and his eyes met two dark orbs from behind the bar. Your client smirked, raising his near empty glass to Guy in a mock salute. Guy diverted his eyes. He tugged on his collar.

You leaned back with the bottle, once again obstructing Kabuto’s view. You refiled Kabuto’s glass, then your own. You took a sip, leaning back with your elbow resting against the back of the booth. One leg came to cross over the other. Kabuto’s eyes raked over your curves. He watched as your gown slipped down your exposed thigh.

“Care to talk business, then?”

Kabuto reached out to swipe a stay strand of hair behind your ear. His knuckles brushed your cheek, but unlike last time, you didn’t recoil. You met his eyes with challenge. With a slight sneer, a small spark of chakra shot into Kabuto’s fingertips causing him to recoil instinctively. You took a sip from your drink.

“I don’t know, your guard dog doesn’t seem to like me very much.” Kabuto glanced over your head in the direction of the bar. He dragged the back of a finger down your cheek, seeming to delight in the silent and invisible, electric crackle of chakra. He leaned closer. “Why don’t we get out of here?”

“I’m working.”

“I’m sure the club can afford for you to disappear with a little incentive.” You glanced down at the vice grip he had on his drink, then back to his eyes. Frosted grey started to freeze over his dark irises. He was getting dizzy.

“Nice try, why don’t you tell me now.”

You reached up in an attempt to cup his face, but he swiftly caught your wrist. Two fingers laced around the one bracelet on your wrist as if finding haven on a small island in the middle of the ocean. Kabuto’s hand shook ever so slightly. And just as quickly, he stood, recoiling from your hands like hot metal. You glanced around the room. Kabuto’s teetering could easily be mistaken for tipsiness.

“I’ll see you, say, in a few day’s time. This time of the day.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You cocked a brow.

“We’ll talk then.” Kabuto looked upon you with a fraction of his usual sharpness. “No bodyguard.”

You spared no look towards the bar. You agreed.

***

“You’re doing pretty well for yourself, dear.” You caught sight of Yuzuki in the reflection of your mirror. You sighed, giving her an exasperated look. “Two regulars in what, two days? That’s not something to turn your nose at.”

She crossed the room to the windows on the far side. Undoing the latches, she pushed on the lift. Yuzuki took a cigarette from her bra and held it between her teeth. You both needed a break between tables.

“Three days,” You corrected, touching up your makeup in the mirror. “I think I’m getting the hang of it.” Yuzuki plucked a lighter from her bra.

“Sure you are, it takes some getting used to.” The flame crinkled the tip of the cigarette. She took a long drag.

“Shouldn’t you smoke outside?” Yuzuki puffed.

“Mama says it’s bad for business for clients to see me smoke.” She drawled. “I say-” Another drag. “-that’s horse shit. Men here only care about one thing and it’s not whether I have a pack-a-day addiction.”

“Is that why you’re smoking out of a window like a teenager?” You gave a chuckle, leaning with your elbows on the flat of the vanity.

“Exactly.” She motioned towards you, pointing the cigarette. Yuzuki leaned against the wall by the sill, ankles coming to cross over each other. You laughed together as she continued her smoke break.

“So you never got to tell me more about that back room.” You mentioned, “I haven’t stopped thinking about it. It’s so mysterious.”

“Well, what do you want to know?” You pursed your lips, considering how you want to approach your questioning.

“What’s with Orochimaru? And why are his men here so often?”

“Oh yeah, you just came to the Sound, didn’t you?” Yuzuki snorted. She gazed up towards the ceiling. “And you seem to have become the favorite of Oro’s lapdog. Oh yes, I _definitely_ noticed that one, dear.”

“Lapdog?” You feigned ignorance, but Yuzuki ignored your question.

Yuzuki put out her cigarette, coming to sit at the vanity to your right. She crossed her legs once again as she leaned her back against her station.

“The Sound Village isn’t a real ninja village. Orochimaru likes to say that it is and that he founded this place but he really didn’t. The people have always been here, but he needed a place to do, well, whatever it is that Oro does.” You nodded along to her narration. Yuzuki flicked her lighter between her fingers absentmindedly. “Oro’s got power, you know? Did wonders for our little village in the beginning because all the men had something to do and someone to lead them. But between you and I-” Yuzuki glances around before leaning closer to you. You scooted your seat closer, ears perked. “-I think the Sound ninja are going a bit… restless.”

You mirrored her, glancing around and leaning farther forward.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that the orders aren’t coming from Oro anymore. That’s what I think.”

Before you could answer, the door to the dressing room opened.

“Takeuchi-san, you’ve been requested for the gentleman at table twelve.” You frowned.

“For?” You asked, expecting more detail, but you received none.

“Yep.”

“Be right there.” You called back and the door closed once again. You turned back to Yuzuki. “We’ll finish this conversation later?”

“Yeah, of course, dear. But this is all just a rumor and some gossip I hope you know.”

“It’s still exciting to hear about.” Yuzuki gives you a pat on her way back to the window. Another cigarette stuck out from between her lips.

“That’s the spirit.”

You pulled a stick of lip balm from your drawers. The fresh sensation of mint ran over your lips. Looking at your makeup for the last time in the mirror, you hurried back into the main area of the club. You looked down at your hands. You could feel the chakra gathering at your fingertips. Confidence and excitement built up inside your chest as you awaited another client to hone your skills on.

Your tray of drinks were already waiting for you at the bar, but not in the usual pick up line for the hostesses. Guy perked up as you appeared by the bar’s partition, your tray of drinks balanced on his hand. You gingerly grabbed it from the bottom, Guy’s hands coming around the sides to steady the wobbling disk.

His fingers brushed against your own and the sensation shot like an arrow through your nerves. Guy leaned down close to your ear.

“Live one.” He spoke softly. You breathed in his cologne. Wordlessly you nodded as you sauntered to the table.

A shrew of a man sat in your booth. You could make out his nervous posture from a mile away. Donned in a black suit and tie, he sat shrunken in on himself, eyes darting about. He gripped a beaten up briefcase in his lap. With every occasional jolt, his glasses would fall to his nose. And when he saw you, the circular frames right about fell off of his face entirely. You sauntered up to the booth.

“Hiya, babe. How are we tonight?” You made a show of placing the drinks on the table. Your pale client gulped.

“I’m doing well… Miss.” You laughed as you sat down next to him. He instinctively scooted over.

“You’re so nervous, it’s adorable.” You laid a hand on his clothed arm. The other reached towards the table to grab his drink. “Have a drink.” He thanked you politely and received the glass with a semblance of relief. “What’s your name, Handsome?”

“Sugawara Takao… Miss.”

“Please just call me Yume, Takao-kun.” Your client shuddered and took a gulp from his glass. He recoiled, lips puckered at the tang of the alcohol. You leaned against the booth. “So, Takao-kun, what brings you to me tonight?” You eyed his vice grip on his briefcase.

“Well we were waiting on someone.” He motioned towards the bar. You glanced over your shoulder to see a bar patron waving your way before giving his colleague a curt wink.

“Bet the boys at the bar couldn’t stop talking about me, huh?” You waved back to the bar.

“Well, actually, yes-” You turned back.

“So, is your friend going to join us or do I get to have you all to myself?” Your hand ran down Takao’s arm, stopping just at the cusp of his jacket. Takao still exchanged a furrow-browed gaze with his partner.

“I think Hisoka’s far too wasted to walk over here.” He spoke focusing more on his partner than you. What he said wasn’t funny, but you laughed anyway. Taken aback, his eyes widened before he chuckled with you nervously. Your hand met the skin of the back of his hand.

“Relax, Takao-kun.” And he did. The tension left his shoulders. He turned to you, his features settled into contentedness. “What do you do for work?”

“Hisoka and I are accountants.” You had to physically restrain yourself from turning back to face the bar. _Guy sent you a money cruncher?_

You frowned, but with a little more chakra your client frosted over quickly. You glanced around the room. You were in the clear.

“Why are you meeting here?” You turned back to the accountant. You snuggled into his side. Swiftly, you let go of his hand and weaved your hand onto the skin of his collarbone. You could feel the small crackle of chakra surge into his civilian system. “You can tell me anything. What’s your meeting about?”

“The Hidden Sound is receiving cash gifts like crazy. We don’t know how to balance the books anymore.”

“Money? From who?”

“I don’t know.” You narrowed your eyes, taking a sip of your drink.

Sensing that he truly didn’t know, your hand slipped from his skin. The frost in his eyes began to retreat as he sobered back into reality. You placed a hand under his drink and one on his shoulder. Takao blinked as if catching himself dozing off.

“Takao-kun, are you okay? Let me take this.” You took his drink and placed it on the table. Your client rubbed his eyes.

“Wow, that’s one stong drink. I think I blacked out for a second there.” He leaned his head back on the booth. You giggled, putting a hand on his knee. “I think I had too many.”

“I guess that one was a bit too strong. I’ll get you a water to help you sober up.”

***

Guy was unusually late when he got in. You slumped across your couch, feeling the small quake of the door shutting next door through the building’s bones. You rolled over, adjusting the towel wrapped around your hair. A knock came through the partition door. You let out a groan and Guy allowed himself in.

He said nothing as you pouted on the couch. A small takeout bag appeared in your peripheral vision and Guy placed it at the coffee table in front of your eyes. A silent offering.

“I was hoping that you’d brief me if I brought dinner.” Humility rang in Guy’s tone. You curled up tighter in your blanket. You eyed the bag.

“Do I smell dumplings?” You glanced down to Guy. He nodded. You sank back into your blanket. “Steamed?”

“Steamed.”

You hummed, sitting up. The cloth bunched around your shoulders. You took the takeout boxes and lined them up on the table. Guy sat silently as you pulled two paper plates from the bag. You handed him one.

The two of you sat together silently on the couch. You handed him a pair of disposable chopsticks. He passed the box of steamed dumplings. Guy cracked open a packet of soy sauce, pouring half on his rice. He handed you the rest and you drained the rest onto your food. Guy took a breath.

“I wanted to apologize for earlier.” Guy admitted softly. You sighed, putting your plate down in your lap.

“Don’t be sorry. I make a bigger ass of myself more often than you do.” Guy gave you a warm smile.

“That’s not true.” He slurped on his noodles. You let out a snort and playfully rolled your eyes. “So tell me what’s been going on.”

“There’s definitely something fishy going on with the Hidden Sound ninja. But hey, what else is new?” You started. You scarfed down a dumpling. “My best guess is that it has something to do with Orochimaru, but even that’s a theory I don’t know about. That’s just the rumor that’s going around. I’ve heard more about that than anything concerning the Akatsuki.” Guy exchanged his box of noodles for your box of dumplings.

“Same here.” He slurped. “By the way, was the guy I sent your way promising?”

You hummed, tilting your head to the side in thought as you chewed.

“Oh yeah, thanks for that by the way. He was promising but I think we caught him too early.” You put your plate on the table. “Want something to drink?”

“Wine?” Guy licked his lips.

You moved around the couch to the kitchen as you hummed. Taking down two glasses from the cabinet, you poured modest amounts.

“There’s cash being moved around. Bribes shouldn’t be anything new, but I think it’s too soon to tell what it all means.” You reached from behind the couch to give Guy his class. You made your way around. “It could be completely unrelated.”

“Or we could find ourselves in the middle of a coup.” You nodded along, taking a sip of your drink.

“I’m pretty sure I can find out soon. I’ve been talking to Kabuto Yakushi.”

“Why does that name sound so familiar?” Guy snapped his fingers as his eyes turned towards the ceiling. You crossed your legs under you.

“He’s in our bingo book. Rogue medical ninja from the Leaf if you can remember his profile.” Guy bit his lip. His face scrunched as he thought. Guy snapped, but his features sunk.

“That fellow with the silver hair?” You nodded. Guy’s arms fell over his chest.

“I don’t have a good feeling about that one.” He looked down at his noodles, deep in thought. You studied his body language. He furrowed his brow. “Do you get the sense he knows that we’re here?”

“He definitely knows we’re here.” You put your plate down on the coffee table with his. “But so far he hasn’t done anything. It makes me think that the whole information trade with the Akatsuki doesn’t include Orochimaru. Otherwise, why would we still be alive?” Guy met your eyes.

“You need to be careful with your jutsu.”

“I am, I’m keeping it at low levels.” Guy leaned back into the couch.

“How was your outing with that nin?” You took another sip of wine.

“He’s hinting hard that he’s in the middle whatever’s going on. I almost got it out of him today but I’ll need more time to confirm whatever he’ll tell me.”

Guy observed you where you sat across from him. He took in the hair that escaped from your headwrap. There were many things he wanted to tell you and many warnings he wanted to give. The corners of Guy’s mouth twitched. But he stayed quiet. You already knew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may be investigating crimes, but the real crime is that you're eating wine with Chinese take out.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter this time, sorry. A lot has been going on, but next chapter is a big juicy one! Happy Birthday @yvonne_says! You’ve really been here since the beginning and you’re support means so much!

A deep exhale. Yor cleared your mind completely, focusing only on your deep inhales, then exhales. All you could see was black behind your lids. Another breath and your fingers twitched against the firm weight under your palms. The energy washed over you, sparking in your fingers. The powerful numbness reached your wrists, then your elbows.

“Take it slow.” Your brow scrunched as you felt the chakra retreat a little lower before shooting up to your shoulders. A spark cracked painfully under your palms. “Sorry…” The apology came low and softly.

Another exhale. The connection sparked in your chest, shooting straight to your heart. You could feel the energy circulating, running through every fiber of your being. It loaded warmth into your system so real that you could almost feel the heat on your skin. You sent your own messages, shooting out feelings of zen, peace, and calm. Your eyes twitched and you focused harder on maintaining the connection. A twitch in your brow. A hiccup in the circulation. Your brows furrowed, but each crease in your forehead led to more holes, the link slipping out of your control. The chakra probed into each crevice in your mind, seeping in and pulling thoughts and memories with reckless abandon.

Parts of your childhood sailed down the stream of consciousness. _Your father. Your old family pet. Ramen on Tuesdays. The waterfall outside of the village. Minato becoming Hokage. _  
You resurfaced with a gasp. You wiped your sweaty palms on your pants. Guy sat, legs crossed and concerned, in front of you. His palms still turned upwards. The corners of his lips slumped.__

____

____

“Maybe we should take a break.” You opened your mouth to dispute him. Guy spoke your name with a certain amount of sternness.

Guy looked at the clock. He could hardly believe it. And if you hadn’t been sitting in front of him, he wouldn’t have. Two and a half. Two and a half hours since you had burst through the partition door. Two and a half hours since you marched up to him, hands on your hips. He’d never forget the words you said.

“Okay.” Guy remembered your hands firmly on your hips. “I’m ready. I’m ready to tackle this mission the right way.” He recalled your tight lips. “Would you help me? Please.”

Your huffing brought Guy back to reality. Your lips vibrated as you did so.

“I’ll grab some waters.”

You rose from the couch, shedding your hoodie as you did so. You and Guy had been working HEAVEN for a little over a month now with no promising and accessible leads. You were sure that they were out there, but you certainly weren’t getting lucky as of late. So while you waited, all there was to do was practice. You filled up two glasses. Guy leaned against the back of the couch, sticking an arm out to take his drink which you handed him. You circled around to the other end, taking your seat once again. This had become a nightly routine for the two of you.

“I think you’re getting better,” He remarked.

“Really? ‘Cause it doesn’t feel like it.” You fanned yourself with the TV guide. “I feel like I keep slipping easier and easier.”

“It’s a powerful jutsu and I have deep recesses of strong chakra. I’d be surprised if mastering it was easy.” Guy placed his empty glass on the coffee table. Practicing this jutsu took a lot of chakra out of him too. “But really, you’re improving. It’s stronger, I can tell that you have more control.”

“I’ll need to have all the control I can get if we get into trouble with someone competent.”

“Who? Like Orochimaru?” Guy hummed. You sucked on the cheek. Your head tilted to the side.

“Well we don’t know it’s Orochimaru.” A sip.

“We’re pretty sure, though.” You rolled the glass between your hands, watching as the creases in your hands left prints on the cold surface.

“I dunno, Guy. I just have a feeling about this and my feeling is that this isn’t Orochimaru’s doing.” Guy bit back a small smile. You’ve been using his name as of late.

“All signs seem to be pointing to him.” He told you with a shrug. “But you’re right, we should wait until we have some more evidence.” He shifted cross-legged on the couch cushions. He held his hands out, wrists resting on his knees. “Ready to go again?”

You set your drink down.

“Yeah, sure.”

You mirrored his posture. Closing your eyes, you took a breath. Your hands slipped onto his, surrendering your vulnerability and your mind.

The chakra cracked like static, excited as it flowed from you. The loading occurred quicker this time, though not by much. The frigid heat rose in you, occupying chakra point after chakra point. You felt it well in the center of your forehead as the energy spread to your core of your chest. Guy spoke your name softly, almost in question. Your brow twitched, but the circulation remained uninterrupted. You felt his warmth across your network being kept at bay.

“I know it was a long time ago, but you haven’t heard from that Kabuto, have you?”

Immediately, you faltered. The connection continued, probing into your soul. You tried your best to keep it at bay. You fed through unrelated memories. _Lunch at the Academy. Late night workouts. _It flowed into Guy, a sense of peace spreading across his skin.__

____

____

“No.”

The corner of his lips twitched. Something was off, but he couldn’t place it.

***

Working HEAVEN could hardly be considered a task that could be run like a well-oiled machine, but somehow both you and Guy fell into a rhythm that seemed to work. Guy ran a rag over an empty space at the counter of the bar. A new customer quickly took the seat. With a flick of his wrist, a napkin flew in front of the patron, gently floating down onto the hard surface in front of his folded arms. The man looked up, impressed.

“What can I get for ya’?”

Daisuke emerged from the hall to his office, nodding happily at the state of his business. He was absolutely thrilled to say the least, especially with his new hires. Guy handled the bar with such skill, that HEAVEN quickly started to rise as one of the hottest clubs in the Sound. And as he predicted, Daisuke’s new hostess seemed to leave all her clients like they had just awakened from a sweet dream. Business was booming. The club was busier than ever and the hostesses were more exhausted than ever. Together, they worked a sea of men, all telling themselves that the commission would make the hassle of taking on more regulars was worth it. A hired band played upbeat music over the low roar of chatter.

Guy noticed Daisuke’s appearance at the side of the bar, his face lighting up. He gave an exclamation, juggling bottles in his usual show.

“Ah! Daisuke! Care for a drink?” Guy called out jovially, bouncing a bottle of liquor off of his bicep.

“Not at the moment, Genki. I think I’m still a bit tipsy from what you made me earlier!” Daisuke laughed deeply. You watched the interaction out of the corner of your eye, tucked under the arm of a client. Guy didn’t miss a beat, pouring a fancy concoction into four glasses at once.

“Well, let me know, Boss!” He said, letting his Might Guy show for a moment in his signature thumbs-up pose. Daisuke mirrored the gesture.

“As long as you don’t drop any of my product!” And with that joke, he walked off into the club. Your focus returned to your customer, almost done with your session.

You made momentary eye contact with Guy. Slowly, you moved a piece of hair behind your ear. Code. Guy flicked his bangs to the side. He finished the round of drinks in front of him, putting them on a tray for the next hostess before servicing the bar patrons. One part of being a ninja that Guy silently thanked was the ability to multitask quickly and efficiently. He turned out order after order, his mind almost turning off as he did so. Almost. After all, making drinks was hardly his current focus.

Guy studied a man at the edge of the bar with his peripheral vision. He had been there a while and looked to be a high ranking sound ninja. Guy slid him his refill and the stranger gave him thanks. Sensing a break in his work, Guy took a moment to stop.

“All drinks tonight, my good friend?” He mused. The customer hummed. “There are so many beautiful women here tonight, you shouldn’t have to keep me company.” Guy chuckled. Even in his acting, he found it hard to play into his surroundings. Much like you, Guy turned to you to help find ways of his own to circumvent his comfort zones. The man let out a snicker.

“My girl ain’t here tonight.” He took a large gulp of his strong beverage. Guy busied his hands with a monotonous task, but looked up in feigned shock.

“You’ve tried out the new one, haven’t you?”

Guy couldn’t help but cringe on the inside. Despite working this mission for quite some time, he still had trouble adjusting to the language. He nearly gagged. _Tried out the new one._ Like he spoke about a pair of pants or some other object. But, he would put his reservations aside. He would be damned if he didn’t act like a professional, after all. Guy glanced over at you, partially deliberate and partially to remind himself to find comfort in your coaching.

The patron followed Guy’s gaze. He leaned against the bar as he craned his neck, his glass gripped loosely by the top between his fingers. He clicked his tongue.

“Eh, no. I have not. What’s she like?” Guy lined up a few groups of drinks on a tray. “Aside from drop dead gorgeous of course.”

“Spitfire if I’ve ever met one. Intelligent, feisty-” The ninja scoffed.

“Ah, nah I pass on difficult women.”

“Not _difficult._ ” Guy leaned on the counter. “Sexy, confident. Her name literally means ‘dream’, you know. Trust me, you’ll walk out of here in a daze.” The man looked up from his drink with sceptical amusement.

“Either you’re a really good salesman or she was one hell of a lay.”

“Don’t kiss and tell, Genki.” Your chide cut through the atmosphere.

The attention of the bar fell to you as you sauntered up. One of the patrons yielded his seat to you and you thanked him, dragging one hand down his cheek. The chakra flowed, undetectably, from your fingers. The man’s face turned red. You slid onto the stool which happened to be next to Guy’s target.

“I’d never dream of it, Yume.” Guy chuckled and you gave him a subtle nod. You could take it from here.

Guy returned to his duties at the bar, putting on a show to distract the crowd from your interrogation. One hand on the ninja’s wrist and he wouldn’t suspect a thing. Guy watched your handiwork out of the corner of his eye. You had really grown in your training. Even to his elite senses, your jutsu was near undetectable.

And client after client, it went exactly like that. Guy began to learn what characteristics to look for and you began to extract information quicker and quicker. Granted, most of the information did not turn out to be anything useful. You sorted through the confessions in a mental list. Married. Alcoholic. Gay. Cheater. It had been far too long since you and Guy got a break.

The night creeped up on you. The longer you worked, the less you seemed to acknowledge time. Drink after drink and client after client, the staff of HEAVEN worked into the night. And with just an hour before closing the pack came in as they usually did.

The group of Sound ninja seemed to have grown in size since you had last seen them the day before. They hounded the bar, Guy scrambling to prepare all of their orders. You had remained at your pace on the far end, stalking the group with your eyes in preparation to pull at a weak link. After all, they would be leaving for the back room soon and no time could be spared.

You spied Shou on the other side of the bar and playfully motioned him over.

“Shou!” You greeted grandly with a smile, arms out to embrace him. “When’s the next time you’re taking me away from this place?” Shou fell into your arms, one hand lingering around your waist.

“Soon. Don’t be impatient, now.” He spoke with his usual sternness, but you could detect the faintest playfulness in his voice.

“Hey, lover boy!” Another soldier called from a few stools down. He leaned back, holding out a glass. “Get over here and get your fuckin’ drink.”

Shou laughed, waving off his friend before turning to you for a kiss. Your hand came up between the two of you, obstructing his lips with two of your fingers.

“Go get your drink, baby.”

Guy eyed you, but swiftly turned away.

The hour flew by. As clients left, more and more hostesses came to mingle around the bar, hoping to milk some extra commission money. But the group decided to turn into the back room around closing. The women broke away together, varying levels of sour. In the migration, you spied the same woman who typically came with the group finishing her drink at the end of the bar. As the men left, she threw down a few ryō before exiting HEAVEN like every time before.

Except this time, you were curious, curious enough to follow. Wordlessly you slid down from your stool, making your way to the hall. You stopped right across from the dressing room to glance down towards Daisuke’s office. A muffled uproar came from behind the mahogany door. You pushed a hand into the door of the kitchenette as Yuzuki stormed out of the office, clutching a small piece of paper in her hand.

“This is shit, Daisuke. You know this is shit. I might as well go to HEX if you have the nerve to steal from us like this.”

You could see straight into the small room. Daisuke sat still at his desk. Yuzuki stormed past you.

“Are you okay?” You asked, letting the kitchenette door close as you turned to face her. She seethed, jaw clenched.

“I can’t deal with this right now.” Yuzuki huffed before storming off. You took a breath before resuming your task.

***

The woman stood right outside where you expected her. She buried herself in her jacket, leaning against the side of the building. You carried two disposable cups in your hands, steaming and warm. You approached her and offered her one.

“It’s been getting colder out here.” You observed. The woman looked down at the cup.

“What is it?”

“Green tea,” You answered. “I thought you might like a cup.” Your breath floated visibly in the cold air. She gave a low nod before taking the cup from you with silent thanks.

“That’s very kind of you.” You took your spot next to her, lower back flush against the wall.

“Well, I thought you could use something to help that headache you no doubt have after being in that crowd.” You joked and she gave a light snicker and a smile. You blew on your beverage. You stood together looking out at the stars. That had to be your favorite part of the night. The neon signs just started to turn off around this time, revealing the specks of light above. “I just noticed that you come out here every time the others go back and that perhaps you could use some company.”

“I can’t say that these kinds of places are exactly my favorite.” She admitted before pausing. “No offense.” You waved at her with one hand.

“None taken, I completely understand.” Another pause. The wind blew, whipping your faux hair around and taking a few degrees off of your tea. You heard a scoff.

“I don’t get how you people do it.” The woman shook her head slowly, crumpling up the cup before shooting it to the nearest trash. She missed.

“Do what?”

“Deal with those guys all day.” The woman shoved her hands in her pockets. “I give you serious props. I couldn’t do that.” You looked at her kindly.

“Sometimes you do what you have to do.” You smiled softly, directing your gaze downward. “But… I have restrained myself from multiple punches. Genki can attest to that.” The woman snickered along with you.

“Yeah, me too. But something tells me that you have more self-restraint than I do.” She hummed. “Genki, that’s the-”

“Bartender.” You nodded and she mirrored, an eyebrow quirking.

“He sure is sweet on you.” She mused. You blinked at her blankly, expecting an explanation. She shifted. “Anyone with a brain could see that. But who knows.”

You swirled around the half inch of green tea that remained in your cup.

“Yeah, who knows.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~What do ya’ll think about the pacing so far? I’m curious because I think it’s too fast. Will someone let me know if it’s too fast? Thanks.~~
> 
> I already got a lot of feedback so I'm moving to the next chapter. Thank you for all your comments! Now don't make me panic by telling me that the pacing is too fast cause I can't go back and fix it! Hahaha


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rome may not have been written in a day, but this sure as hell was. Sue me, I’ve been busy. I did take your suggestions from last chapter. Thank you very much to anyone who left comments.

“Tell me. I want to know how it works.”

“I’m not just going to tell you.”

“Oh, you don’t trust me?” Kabuto leaned back in the booth, whiskey clutched lightly in his lap. Mild amusement hung onto his lips as he took a sip from his glass. It was the same time as usual. He had been coming into HEAVEN regularly, requesting you most of that time. And in your sea of regulars, his presence strangely felt like a breath of fresh air. “I have a theory.”

“Theorize away but I’m not biting.” You scoffed, looking out from the corner that your booth was tucked into. The lighting shone a bit dimmer than usual. The band played softly in the background. A plate of french fries sat on the table. HEAVEN didn’t serve food.

“This trick of yours-”

“Kekkei Genkai.” Kabuto gave you a pointed look. Half a french fry stuck out the side of your mouth. You never got to eat on the job, only drink.

“This trick of yours attacks the chakra network.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be a scientist or something? Like...smart?” Kabuto snorted, amused. He didn’t laugh often.

“Let me finish,” He insisted, a smile tugging at his lips. “To get vulnerability you have to give vulnerability. That’s how you access the chakra network. But it’s like a genjutsu, isn’t it? You can easily be flooded out.” You huffed with a playful roll of your eyes.

“Well, I wouldn’t say _easily_. Without _practice_. If it’s just anyone, it’s easy to resist. It’s when people actually know what they’re doing that makes my job harder.” A sly smirk worked its way onto Kabuto’s lips. He bowed his head slightly as he snickered.

“So not only am I right, but I know what I’m doing and I’m hard to resist, huh?” You nearly choked on your drink.

“You’re too young for me, Yakushi.” Kabuto pouted. His hand came over the top of his glass as he brought it to his lips. His fingers gripped the edge near the rim.

“Three years is a feeble excuse. Terrible service here, I swear. I just might have to complain.” He quipped and you fought the urge to roll your eyes again and slap his shoulder.

“What age are you though? Six?” Kabuto clicked his tongue in defeat.

“Hey, it’s not my fault that I was born on a leap year.”

But the mood sooned darkened. You could feel his tension as a new thought seemed to encompass his mind. Kabuto became pensive and you quickly polished off the last of your drink. Something told you that you’d want to be drunk for whatever he left his mouth next. You were always sensitive to changes in atmosphere. The nerves around your cheeks twitched.

“Last time, you asked about getting down to business.” Kabuto must have had the same idea as you. He set his empty glass on the cushion next to him. He cleared his throat. “Why not tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?” You repeated, not helping the acute look of shock that fell upon you. “I suppose that works.” Kabuto moved his glass to the tray in front of him. He reached for his wallet and put down whatever ryō he owed. He turned back to you, leaning in to plant a kiss on your cheek. A spark of chakra met his lips before any skin did. He paused. You felt him slide something under your fingertips.

“Meet me here, our usual time.” You inwardly cringed, not liking how the time he came to HEAVEN had become a casual piece of common information.

Kabuto left.

***

“Wow, Yuzuki! This is amazing!” Chiasa crooned, standing behind where Yuzuki sat at her vanity. You had just set foot in the dressing room and smiled contentedly at the two women. Ever since you started getting regulars of your own, you had seen less and less of Chiasa and your interactions with Yuzuki seemed to only be in passing. Seeing people who didn’t want to bed you sure breathed life into your shift.

Chiasa noticed you quickly, waving you over.

“You won’t believe where our Yu-Yu is going to be working!” She squealed, ripping a piece of paper out of Yuzuki’s hand before shoving it into yours. You scanned the page, eyes widening in shock as you glanced up at the purple-haired woman.

“Wow.” That was all you could make out. “How do you feel about this?” Yuzuki lit a cigarette between her teeth.

“I’m more in awe that Daisuke put it in print. He could have just told me that my time in this life was about done.” Chiasa snatched the cigarette from between Yuzuki’s lips, promptly putting it out in the ashtray on the vanity. Chiasa’s lips curled into a thick pout.

“You stop that. This is why all my dresses smell like smoke,” She chided, “And you’re not going to die. You’re so dramatic.” Yuzuki batted her eyelashes a few times and turned to you.

“I’m sorry,” She waved her hand in the air, “But have you seen how I act? Heard me at all? I swear I won’t make it. Those boys are a rough crowd, that I know for sure.”

You thought back to Shou. You didn’t see him often individually. He tended to arrive in a group near closing time, but he made it a point to come early to visit you every once in a while. He sat with you, ordering the most expensive bottle of champagne you had. He was pushy and perhaps a bit too blunt, but all in all not the worst of the men you’ve experienced.

“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” You tried to assure her. Yuzuki shook her head, leaning sideways with her elbow against the flat surface of her station. She tried to pop another cigarette in her mouth, but Chiasa swiftly swiped it away.

“Look around, Baby. Have you ever heard anyone say they work the back room? Have you ever seen anyone come out of there?” You looked around and the truth was that she was right, you hadn’t. She pursed her lips. “Those girls don’t work until after closing. This place cycles through them too fast. No one knows where they go. They always turn up eventually. Dead. A few of us a year.”

Tears began to well in her eyes and she roughly wiped them away with her thumb, careful not to mess up her eye makeup. A few curse words fell from her lips, more frustrated with becoming emotional than her fate. Yuzuki threw her hand up in the air and it slapped right back down on her lap. She shook her head. Chiasa looked lost and helpless, wanting to say something but not knowing what.

“Oh, Yu-Yu!” She opted. “You’re going to be just fine, okay? You’re the best hostess I know. You’re such a professional that you’re just going to walk out of that room with a big fat commission every night! And for your usual job of getting drunk!” Yuzuki gave the blonde a pointed look. “Or other things, if that’s what you choose.” She added sheepishly. Yuzuki scoffed.

“‘If I choose’,” she repeated but Chiasa stood firm in front of her.

“Yes, if you choose because you’re allowed to say no to anything you want to say no to.” Yuzuki motioned to the paper in your hands.

“Except for that.” You realized that you were still holding it and attempted to hand it back to Yuzuki, but she declined. “Keep it, I don’t want to look at it anymore.”

Yuzuki reached for another cigarette but was stopped by Chiasa. You hardly noticed as they began to bicker. You studied the notice once again folded it up absentmindedly and stuck it in your pocket. By the time you looked up, Yuzuki had her head buried in her hands. You immediately dropped to your knees, placing your hands gently on her wrists, but she made no effort to move. She just sat there quietly.

You could feel her sorrow, her terror and panic. It shot straight to your heart. An exchange was the quickest option. The emotion swirled up inside of you, circulating and pounding on your nerves. You fed into it kindness and calm. The anxiety welled up inside you as you watched Yuzuki’s shoulders droop in tension. Panic destroyed your system as she finally raised her head.

“You’re going to be fine. You have us. We’re here for you.” You assured her, feeling the hollowness in your own words. You could have started shaking. But at the end of the night, you had a job to do.

“Oh Honey, what on earth could you do against Orochimaru’s men?”

She had no idea.

***

Guy insisted on cooking the next morning or, well, afternoon. You stood together in the market. You decided to retire Takeuchi for the day, your hair now a different color and legs slightly longer. The shape of your face appeared rounder. Guy held the bag, still very much Genki. You stopped to study him as he picked through the fruit.

You didn’t know how you felt about Might Guy. For years you had tried to escape him. You built your avoidance into your daily routine and for years, you gagged at his voice. You hated his workouts and you hated him. But now you were really stuck together. Something brewed underneath you and all the two of you could really do was wait together. You got used to the noise. You got used to the little annoyances like how he has to sip his beverages with both hands. When you started to shatter, he was there. Whether you wanted to admit it or not, Might Guy took care of you and that you knew that you hated. The two parts of you conflicted. He was more to you now than you ever expected, but that feeling remained. That horrible feeling, like a fluttering in your chest and a pit in your stomach. You felt off, distracted and for once, unsure about who he was to you.

“I never liked this whole ‘tomatoes are a fruit’ business.” You muttered, taking out your frustrations in a pointed glare at the red berries that stuck out the top of your shopping bag. Guy let out a deep chuckle.

“Well what would you like them to be then?” You shrugged as you walked down the street together.

“I don’t know. A tomato?” You looked up at him and shoved your hands in your pockets. Your nose crinkled in disgust. “You look like the kind of person who would bite into a tomato like an apple.” Guy nearly dropped the bag.

“What gave me away?” He laughed and your eyes widened.

“M- I mean Aoki Genki,” You stumbled and spoke his name in mock surprise. “You’re one weird dude, you know that?”

“Well for your information, tomatoes are an excellent source of vitamin A!” He exclaimed, holding open the door to your complex.

“I wouldn’t know. I’m allergic.” Guy stopped in the middle of the stairway. You continued to your landing and he quickly followed when he realized you weren’t stopping. 

“Wait, why did we get these then?” He asked, motioning to the large bundle. You snickered, once again shrugging your shoulders. You came to stop right outside the door to his room. He opened it, letting you inside.

“You seemed to be having a good time picking them out. I didn’t want to burst your bubble.” Guy set the bag on the counter of his kitchenette.

“Well, that just means more for me.” He took out the kitchen equipment he needed as you unpacked the groceries. You gave the vegetables a rinse and Guy took them onto the large cutting board. You maneuvered your way around the counter and slipped onto one of the stools.

“I’m going to be gone for part of work hours.” You crossed your legs. Your hands interlaced over your knee. It wasn’t a lie. Guy didn’t say anything for a second, hesitating as he lined the knife up over your lunch.

“Ah,” He expressed with a slight nod. He resumed his cutting. “That, uh, Shou?” You didn’t skip a beat.

“Yeah.” He hummed, not looking up from his work.

“He’s been asking for you a lot lately.”

“Yeah, he has.” A pause. “But Chiasa thinks it’s promising. You know, to get into the back room. Yuzuki was just promoted there. Maybe I can get promoted there soon.”

“And I know you’re being careful.” Guy knew better to question your methods or your competence, but you still heard it in his statement. You couldn’t help the bit of annoyance that bit at you. Perhaps Guy sensed it. “You’ve been doing really good work lately. Lady Tsunade made the perfect call for this mission. Just—” He set down the knife and looked you in the eye. —“This is one of those missions where it’s easy for things to get to you. I know at the beginning you felt like you couldn’t trust me, but I hope you know now that you can. I’m here to have your back. That is my only purpose here.” The words caught in your throat and guilt crept onto you like a jacket.

“I know,” You said.

Guy had no idea.

***

You had no idea where you thought you were going to meet Kabuto, but this wasn’t exactly what you expected. You looked down at the paper and read it once. Then twice. You looked up. This was the right address. The hallway of the building was not unlike where you were staying. To your left laid several identical doors. To your right, the same. The pattern on the floor repeated. The only variance was the faux gold numbers plastered to the front of the door.

You knocked softly. There came no answer and the hall remained eerily silent. You firmly grasped the doorknob and with a turn it came open. The apartment was dark. You wandered in, the door shutting behind you. Kabuto was nowhere to be found and you suddenly became on edge. You plucked a kunai out from your purse. Crouching down, you scanned the open expanse of the room. Nothing. No one. No furniture. The room sat completely empty. You noticed a closet at the far end of the room, it being the only thing in the blank environment. It’s singularity made the hairs of your neck stand up. You approached slowly. Maneuvering to the side, you slammed the door open and—

“Going around destroying property? And here I thought we had a good dynamic going for us.” The closet was empty. The voice behind you made you jump, lowering even deeper into a defensive position. Kabuto walked into the room and you lowered your weapon. A tall dark figure trailed behind him. You heard your given name spoken in an eerie, serpentine voice.

“I’ve heard so much about you,” Cooed Orochimaru, who stepped into the evening light. Your grip on the hard metal of your kunai tightened as your eyes accusingly darted to Kabuto.

“I was under the impression that this conversation was just going to be between you and me.” You took a half step back. You were partially dressed for work. Hell, you were wearing a skirt. In terms of combat, you were already at a disadvantage.

“You bitch.” You snarled at Kabuto before turning your attention back to the Sannin. “Some cheap tricks but don’t think you get to kill me so easily, you motherfu—” You ignited in spirit energy. Your reserves ran deep and your temper ran deeper. Your hands lit up blue. Chakra spilled from the sides of your mouth as you assumed position to attack. You lunged forward and the two men swiftly dodged out the way.

“Kill you? No, no you have the wrong opinion of me. We actually have a proposition for you.” They appeared where you previously stood in front of the broken closet door.

“Like hell I’d ever work with the likes of—” A puff of chakra from your nose and you readied yourself for another attack. You flared your chakra threateningly.

“Well, you certainly seemed to have taken a liking to Kabuto over here so I believe that that argument is now null, dear friend.” Orochimaru’s eyes slitted as he gazed upon you deviously. “I believe that if you listen to what I have to say, you’ll find that your mission will be guaranteed short and successful.” Short. Successful. You thought back to Guy and your mixed feelings. You didn’t want to decipher that. The flames around you calmed.

“Talk quickly. How did you know that the Leaf stationed me here?”

“My dear, you talk as if we didn’t know from the beginning.” Orochimaru extended his arms to both you and Kabuto. You gritted your teeth. “After all—” His grin widened. — “who do you think was the Leaf’s informant in the first place?”

***

The back room group came early and, as usual, swarmed the bar. They forced the other patrons out of their stools and completely enveloped the space. Guy worked quickly to fulfill all the orders. One by one, the Sound ninja took their expensive liquor and shared with the hostesses who flocked over to keep them company. Commission. Shou sat in the middle of the chaos, a girl on both his arms. Guy did a double take, backtracking to pour your regular’s drink. He glanced around HEAVEN and didn’t see you. His curiosity got the better of him.

“Back from seeing Takeuchi-san so soon?” Guy questioned, sliding the glass across the counter. Shou’s face scrunched, puzzled.

“What do you mean?” Guy, for once, stood still behind the counter.

“I thought you were taking Takeuchi-san out on dohan.” Shou shook his head, talking a swig from his glass. He continued to shake his head, the alcohol burning the back of his throat.

“No, if you’re sure, it wasn’t me.”

A million thoughts flooded Guy’s head and panic began to set in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recently learned the difference between a dash, an en dash, and an em dash. Coolio.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I originally made a 14 chapter outline and well, it’s been mostly used up. Oop.

_“Who do you think was the Leaf’s informant in the first place?”_ Those words resounded in your head. A shiver worked its way down your spine and your mind went blank. Only those words. The sentence broke apart, rattling around as they bounced against the sides of your skull. _Leaf. Informant. Who did you think? First place?_ And the first thing out of your mouth didn’t include an accusation, but only a—

“Why?” You looked up, forehead scrunched. The flames around you died down to non existence. A puff of smoke wisped into the air, a vague reminiscence of your flaming spirit energy.

“That’s an easy one.” Orochimaru’s smirk morphed into a deep scowl. “We both want the Akatsuki out of my territory.” You snorted and crossed your arms.

“Why would I want the Akatsuki out of y—”

“Perhaps I should rephrase.” Orochimaru cut you off quickly, taking a step closer to you. He cleared his throat, putting his smug exterior back on. “We both want the Akatsuki to take a hit, don’t we? You must know by now that they’re trying to take my army out from under me.”

“Teaming up with you,” You mused with a huff before giving the pair a sceptical look out of the corner of your eye. “How much did Lady Fifth know about this?”

“Enough,” Orochimaru shrugged. “Now, now, dear, Kabuto tells me you’re smart. We’ve left the Leaf alone for quite some time—” You scoffed, once again cutting off the snake Sannin.

“Yeah, after killing our last Hokage and kidnapping a child,” You muttered. Orochimaru’s eyes narrowed, unamused.

“Sasuke Uchiha came to me of his own free will. But that is beside the point.” He was beginning to get impatient. You could tell, feeling the ever so slight shift in his tone. If anything, Tsunade had been right to send an empath. Orochimaru remained ever-cognizant to not let himself falter. “We’ve left the Leaf alone. The question for you is if you want the Akatsuki organization to assume power over yet another village, _a shinobi village_ , or if you’d rather it belong to a Sannin who has no intention of harming you… anytime soon that is.”

“And in exchange?” You found yourself questioning. Orochimaru quirked an eyebrow.

“And in exchange you get to walk out of the Sound alive.” Kabuto stepped forward. His palms faced the ceiling, a gesture of good will as he motioned towards you.

“Your mission will be done quicker. You’ll have new information available to you. We’ll allocate any resources you need.” He pushed up his glasses. “And of course you’ll have back-up whenever you need it.” Orochimaru glanced at his underling.

“Is that what you kids are calling it now?” His jest was ignored and he once again met your eye. “Take some time to think about it, m’kay, dear? We’ll be hearing from you soon, I’m sure.” And just as the pair turned to leave, you called out.

“Wait!” Orochimaru glanced over his shoulder.

“Yes?” He purred, smirking.

“Why me?” You demanded in all cliché. Orochimaru sighed, disappearing from the apartment, leaving Kabuto to answer your question.

“You’re the one calling the shots on this mission, aren’t you? Since you’re the point of contact?” An appeal to your ego. The words sounded familiar to you, but you couldn’t quite place from where. You couldn’t read Kabuto’s features in the slightest. You had a lot to think about.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

***

You needed a drink. You didn’t know a whole lot right now, but that you could safely say that at the very least. The door of your apartment slammed behind you. Darkness enveloped your studio and no you made no effort to turn on any lights. You made a b-line for the kitchenette. As you opened the fridge, the light flooded over your face. Nothing strong enough. You flicked on the lights above the counter island to look in the bottom cabinets. Vodka. That’ll do nicely. You resurfaced, slamming the bottle on the counter and that’s when you noticed the large figure sitting on your bed in the darkness.

“Holy shit!” You let out a string of curses and clutched your chest. “Guy, you scared the shit out of me.” He didn’t say anything and you didn’t wait for him to. You went to unscrew the top of your bottle and took a long, deep swig. The ethanol burned your throat, leaving you with an almost medical aftertaste. But you wouldn’t be a very good hostess if you couldn’t handle that. You put it back up to your lips. The liquid glugged, large bubbles bursting at the bottom of the bottle. You could already feel your stomach begin to heat up, the buzz creeping up on your slower than you would have liked. Worrying about the mission and Orochimaru could wait, you didn’t want to deal with it. You turned your attention back to Guy who remained ever-silent. “Maito, are you okay?”

He sat completely still in the dark. His legs were long enough for his feet to lay flat on the floor. His elbows met his knees and he made no effort to move from his hunched over position. Guy slowly raised his head, face completely emotionless.

“Where were you?” He asked quietly. You smiled nervously.

“I was with Shou, on dohan, remember? I told you that.” Guy shook his head.

“I saw Shou. I served him at the bar and he said that he hadn’t seen you.” He frowned. You didn’t even bother denying his silent accusation. He was right. “I looked for you everywhere. I thought something happened to you.” You took another swig of your sizable drink, leaning over the counter.

“I-I’m sorry.” At best, the apology came off insincere. Guy ignored it.

He repeated himself, “Where were you?” Your tongue ran across the edge of your lip. You weren’t going to insult him further with a lie.

“Orochimaru has a proposition for us,” You opted and Guy’s eyes went wide.

“What?” You sighed, wishing that you could just go to sleep. You took a deep breath.

“I said, ‘Orochimaru has—”

“I heard what you _said_.” Guy stood from your bed, a single hand gestured towards you. He looked visibly upset. His usual joyful expression had since vacated his features. He clenched his jaw, looking troubled and worried. “And you’re telling me that you went to go meet him alone? We just had a conversation about how you can count on me. And what did you say?”

“No, Guy, I do. I do trust you.”

“You said, ‘I know. I know I can trust you, Maito’. I thought that we were starting to get somewhere. That if you were to talk to Orochimaru, you at least would have brought me to back you up instead of leaving me blindsided to figure it out from some random Sound ninja later.”

Guy didn’t yell. He didn’t raise his voice in the slightest, he was just quiet. You almost wished that he were angry. He just sounded tired.

“We were, we are getting somewhere. I really do trust you, you’ve been a great partner. I didn’t even know that I’d be talking to Orochimaru—”

“Then _who did you_ think you were meeting?” You looked up, meeting his eye from the other side of the counter. He already knew. Guy folded his lips and cast his head down. He sighed again. “I had a bad feeling about him and I had a bad feeling when I asked you about it. But I thought that you had it under control.”

“I do have it under control.” You were beginning to lose patience.

“No.” Guy looked you dead in the eye. “No, you don’t.” He ran his thumb across the corner of his mouth, casting his gaze to the side. “You’ve got a really powerful gift, but it makes you vulnerable. I’ve seen how much you drink. You should have had more time to train before you were thrust into a mission like this.” You glared at him with gritted teeth.

“What are you implying? That I’m unfit for this mission?” Guy turned back to you, serious and emotionless. He refused to answer, so you pushed a bit harder. You crossed your arms. “Say it. Just come out and say it.”

“I never said that you were unfit for this mission.”

“Well, make a definitive statement or back off.” A pause. The tension hung thick in the air around you. You felt heated, perhaps due to the alcohol.

“I’m going to contact the Leaf tomorrow. One of us has to come off of this mission. We’ll need as much help as we can get if Orochimaru is involved.” He turned to leave.

“Don’t you get it?” You snapped, “No one is coming to help us. Godaime _knew_ , okay? She sent us in blind. Orochimaru has been our informant this whole time.” Guy stopped. You continued, “Orochimaru confirmed that the Akatsuki are here or at least trying to recruit. He proposed an alliance.”

“For what?” Guy once again faced you. “Orochimaru couldn’t possibly want something for nothing.”

“He said that he just wants the Akatsuki out of the Sound. What throws me is the fact that Godaime didn’t say anything about it.” Guy sat, his frustration morphing into a puzzled curiosity. He furrowed his brows. “He’s willing to help. Anything we need he’ll provide.”

“You didn’t take it, did you?”

“I didn’t give an answer.” The corners of Guy’s lips drooped father downward. “I didn’t know what to say.”

“‘No’ might have been a good answer.” You stepped back, hands on your hips.

“Orochimaru has information. We’ve been working HEAVEN for a long time and we’ve drawn up nothing. Our original hunch that Orochimaru is behind all of this is completely down the drain now.” You gazed at your large bottle and wanted to take another drink but Guy’s words burned in the back of your throat the way liquor never could.

“How do you know that this isn’t some kind of ploy? He still could be behind all of this and is just trying to throw us off.” You sucked on the inside of your cheek, your hand coming over your mouth.

“You didn’t see his face when he was talking about the Akatsuki. He’s pissed.” You met Guy’s eye. If you couldn’t read him before, you certainly couldn’t now. He remained still and listening. “This mission can be over with even faster than we imagined. We could go home.”

“You can’t stand me that much,” Guy stated, trying not to let his words bite. “So much that you’re willing to work with the man who terrorized our own home?”

“I can stand you perfectly fine. I know it may come as a surprise but I don’t hate you, you know.” You sucked in a sharp inhale.

“Well then what is it?” You became aware of your chest as anxiety burrowed a hole deep in the pit of your ribcage. You cast your eyes away but Guy continued to look upon you expectantly.

“I don’t know.” You went to maneuver around the counter, but Guy swiftly stood from his seat to block you. Your head hung.

“Yes, you do.” He stood, unyielding, above you. “As your partner, I deserve to know.” You dared to look up at him. He felt overwhelming, his scent overcoming you and his emotions pungent in the air. “Please.” You followed his lips as they moved. “Let me in.”

Hardly after a moment of consideration, you nodded and immediately kicked him in the knee. And as he doubled over to around your height, you scooped his face into your hands and planted your mouth on his. His lips felt soft as they gingerly moved against yours and after a moment of shock, his hands found your waist. You poured all of you mixed emotions into his chakra network. His energy spilled into your system, washing over every inch of you and you let it. You let the memories circulate away: _news of your mission, nights in training, watching him perform his tricks from the other side of the bar_. You loaded it all out: the annoyance, the fear, the comfort. And in exchange you felt his helplessness, worry, and doubt. Guy pulled you closer and you couldn’t help but squeak into his mouth. An unspoken longing.

But when you broke away, you broke away quickly. Guy seemed to be more at peace, happier. His usual Might Guy glow came back and for once that night, you could read a semblance of normalcy on his face. He visibly relaxed as if something in him melted away when he crashed into you.

“I didn’t know how to explain it. How I was feeling.” And then all of that went away. His slight smile dropped. He cleared his throat.

“Okay.”

That was all he said before he left and you didn’t know where you went wrong. You didn’t stop him. You wouldn’t get a chance to talk to him the next day either. You wouldn’t have the time. HEAVEN would be even more frantic than usual and that was because Yuzuki was dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cabaret will no longer have a schedule with my other works. I’ll just double post one day and it’ll be a surprise cause I have no idea where this is going. No worries, though, I’m still planning on finishing it. Expect a new chapter later this month. I might as well make this series it’s own calendar.


End file.
